Florida Lottery winners are losing money to DEO overpayments. Has this happened to you?
(michelle.mcfatter, Florida Lottery)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Lottery winners are being turned away from collecting their winnings because of problems involving the Department of Economic Opportunity, records show.
In January, Florida couple Dolly Kountz and Dave Kreshpane went to collect $2,900 in prize money from a Pick 4 ticket only to be told Kountz owed $11,000 in unemployment overpayments to the DEO.
More people are losing cash prizes over unemployment overpayment issues. When they go to collect their lottery prizes, they’re handed a sheet of paper with a list of “unusual circumstances”—from child support to DEO unemployment overpayments—that allowed the state to garnish the money.
Has this happened to you? Tell us below.
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About the Author Tiffany Salameh headshot
Tiffany comes home to Jacksonville, FL from WBND in South Bend, Indiana. She went to Mandarin High School and UNF. Tiffany is a former WJXT intern, and joined the team in 2023 as Consumer Investigative Reporter and member of the I-TEAM.
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