A routine stop at a Wawa on East Colonial Drive in Orlando turned into a seven-figure shock for a Central Florida woman who won $1 million with a $5 scratch-off ticket.
The win was recorded by state lottery officials and appears in the agency’s prize records, and the winner chose to receive her prize as a lump-sum cash payout rather than an annuity.
According to the Florida Lottery’s winning-ticket ledger, Tatyana Faith Ashe is recognized as the winner of a $1,000,000 top prize dated April 1, 2026, with Wawa #5142 at 14548 E. According to the Florida Lottery, the winning ticket was purchased from a store on Colonial Drive in Orlando.
Ashe, 27, claimed her reward at the lottery’s Tallahassee headquarters and chose a lump sum payout of $606,600, according to the Tampa Free Press. According to state records, the claim was filed on April 1.
The $5 AMERICA 250 FLORIDA scratch-off was introduced as a special America250-themed game, featuring four $1 million top prizes and millions of smaller awards. According to the game release and Florida Lottery materials, the overall odds of winning any prize are about 1-in-4.01, and there are several lower prize tiers that account for the majority of winners statewide.
Under Florida law, winners of awards worth $250,000 or more are given a 90-day privacy period after claiming their reward before the state can reveal their name and city. That exemption is outlined in Chapter 24 of the Florida Statutes and governs how and when the lottery publicly announces major prizes.
Scratch-off successes like this are common in local headlines, and lottery officials claim the games return money to the state through prize payouts, retailer commissions, and educational transfers. According to the Tampa Free Press, a significant portion of lottery proceeds goes to Florida’s education programs and local retailers.
According to ScratchOffHub’s game-prize listings, as of mid-July, three of the game’s four $1 million top prizes were still accessible in Florida, implying that a few more millionaire-making tickets had still to surface. Players who believe they have matched a top prize are encouraged to keep their ticket and follow the lottery’s claim instructions.
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