Lotto Florida Winners Struggle to Reclaim Cash Prizes Due to Unemployment Overpayments

In recent times, several Lotto Florida winners have come forward to express their frustration and disappointment after having their cash prizes taken away by the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to pay off unemployment overpayments. The issue has been ongoing for a while now, with many winners unaware that they even owed debt to the state.

One such winner is John Moore from Jacksonville, who had his $1,000 cash prize seized by lottery staff on behalf of the DEO. Moore was about to give up on reclaiming his prize when he stumbled upon News 6's story featuring dozens of Florida residents who were in a similar situation. He told our team that he almost lost hope and would have left the money behind if not for our report.

Another winner, Jerry Kirkpatrick from Ocala, also shared his experience with us. He had never received a debt notice from the state but was still forced to forfeit his winnings to pay off an alleged overpayment. Moore is one of many who has contacted News 6 to help reclaim lottery cash prizes taken by the DEO.

According to Morgan Jones, DEO deputy director of communications, the Reemployment Assistance overpayment procedures are in place to mitigate fraud. However, this has not stopped the growing number of complaints from recent lottery winners who have had their prizes taken away without being informed about the debt.

In response to our public records request, the state lottery office revealed that over 5,000 winners showed potential outstanding state-owed debt balance within the last year alone. This staggering figure suggests that many more winners may be affected by this issue than initially thought.

The DEO has been clear that the potential state debts go beyond unemployment benefits and could include child support and tax bills. Both Moore and Kirkpatrick told us they had never received a debt notice from the state, highlighting the need for greater transparency and communication in these situations.

It is essential to note that an overpayment is established when DEO does not receive sufficient information to determine eligibility for a claim. This lack of clarity has led many winners to feel frustrated and helpless, as seen in Moore's statement: 'How many people aren't fighting that don't know about you guys!'

As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how these issues will be resolved and whether Lotto Florida winners will be able to reclaim their rightful prizes.

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