Cashier Throws City Councilman's $1M Powerball Ticket In Trash

CLEARWATER, FL — Looking back on the incident, Clearwater, Florida, city council member Hoyt Hamilton admits it must have been a pretty comical sight as he and two Publix employees frantically rummaged through the contents of the waste bin beneath a cash register at the grocery store, searching for his winning Powerball ticket.

Hamilton, 61, routinely purchases Florida Lottery and Powerball tickets - more for the fun of it than any expectation of winning.

"I don't play all the time and I certainly don't expect to win," he said, noting that he's won no more than a few hundred dollars over the years. "Anybody who says they play to win is just kidding himself."

On Saturday, Hamilton stopped by Publix to pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner and decided to play the pre-filled Powerball and lottery picks he had on hand.

"I always play the birthdays of family members, and then I do a quick pick (in which the lottery machine chooses the numbers)," he said.

"First, the cashier put the Florida Lottery ticket through the machine and there was a ding, indicating a winning ticket," he said. "I'd won a free ticket for the next drawing."

The cashier then ran the Powerball ticket through the machine and the machine instructed Hamilton to go to the nearest regional Florida Lottery office because he'd won a prize of more than $600.

The cashier handed Hamilton the Florida Lottery ticket with the phrase "winning ticket" printed on it. The Powerball ticket had neither the usual "winning ticket" or "not a winner" printed across it, so the cashier casually threw the ticket in the trash.

Hamilton didn't give it a second thought until he got home.

"I think two hours went by when I remembered that it said I'd won more than $600 when the cashier ran the ticket through the machine," Hamilton said.

He realized he needed that ticket to claim whatever amount of money he'd won at the regional Florida Lottery office.

"I went back to Publix and the same young lady was still working," he said. "I told her what happened and asked if she'd emptied her trash can."

He said he imagined himself dumpster diving behind the grocery store in search of the ticket.

Luckily, though, she hadn't emptied her waste bin.

Overhearing the conversation, another employee offered to help search for the ticket.

"I told them to look for the birthdates I always play on the top line, and the three of us began going through the trash," Hamilton said. "It took about 10 minutes to find my ticket."

With the recovered Powerball ticket firmly in his grasp, Hamilton walked back to his car.

"While I was still in the parking lot, I verified the winning Powerball numbers on my phone," he said. "I'd gotten five correct numbers in the quick pick. The sixth number was 23, and I'd picked the number 25. I thought, 'Damn, I missed it by two numbers.'"

The Florida Lottery website said he'd split his winnings with another player. He admits he was a bit disappointed until he read on and learned his portion of the winning split was $1 million.

"I thought, 'Holy you know what!'" Hamilton said. "I never expected to win a million dollars."

This week, Hamilton went to the lottery office and accepted the one-time payout of $740,000.

He plans to use the bulk of the money to set up college funds for his four grandchildren, ages 5 to 7, setting aside a bit of the proceeds so he, his wife, Sheryl, and their family can take a trip - perhaps a Disney cruise.

Hamilton said he considers the circumstances surrounding the $1 million ticket that was nearly thrown away a good story to share at cocktail parties.

He's lived in Clearwater most of his life. His family settled in the city 100 years ago and founded the landmark Palm Pavilion inn and restaurant in Clearwater in 1964. While many businesses were forced to permanently close their doors during the coronavirus pandemic, the Palm Pavilion was able to weather the economic downturn and is now thriving as tourism returns to the area.

Hamilton said he gives back to the city that's given so much to his family over the years by serving on the city council - first from 2001-2006 and then for another term in March 2018.

"I've got a great family, a great business and great friends," he said. "I didn't need to win the lottery. I'm already blessed."