Some of Florida’s biggest lottery winners are store owners, clerks who sell the tickets
About 50 store owners in Florida cashed in at least half their store’s winning tickets, all worth $600 or more, according to an analysis of state data. And at least 30 licensed lottery retailers claimed 50 or more winners. All told, lottery store owners took home more than $26 million between 2015 and mid-December 2025, data show. It’s possible store owners are spending bundles, legally buying rolls of tickets, said Dawn Nettles, a watchdog to the Texas Lottery since 1992. But Nettles doubts they’re doing that, she said. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Gas decline in Florida faces U-turn
A decline in gas prices across Florida the past week isn’t expected to continue as oil prices surged early Monday after President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war “totally unacceptable.” Florida’s average pump price dipped to $4.40 per gallon Monday, a 7 cent decline from the prior Monday. The price has fallen for four consecutive days, with averages across the state ranging from $4.09 in Gulf County to $4.66 in Monroe County. More from the News Service of Florida.
European company to acquire Miami pharma business for $4.1 billion
An Italian company plans to enter the U.S. market with the acquisition of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals. Angelini Pharma will purchase the firm in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.1 billion. Under the terms of the deal, it agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Catalyst for $31.50. Headquartered in Coral Gables, Catalyst focuses on developing and commercializing medicines for rare neurological and neuromuscular diseases. More from the South Florida Business Journal.
Japanese lifestyle retailer bringing its largest-ever store to Tampa
Ebisu Life Store, an internet famous Japanese and Asian lifestyle retailer, will soon open a location in Tampa Bay — its largest ever store. The popular retail chain has signed a lease to open a corporate store at 6234 Commerce Drive in Tampa Palms — a former Joann Fabrics store that anchors the Market Square retail center, along with BJ’s Wholesale Club, PetSmart and Ross Dress for Less. More from the Business Observer.
Can Downtown Jax development deliver homes people can actually afford?
Developers are planning thousands of new residential units across Downtown as major projects like Pearl Square, the Four Seasons development and the Jaguars’ stadium renovation move forward. But as much of that growth centers on market-rate housing, questions remain about affordability and why many vacant buildings across downtown continue to sit empty. More from Jacksonville Today.
Profile
At 101, this Florida World War II veteran still leads a life of service
At 101, Hal Silberman likes to keep a busy schedule. Every morning, he leads an exercise class in the movement room for the residents of The Palace, a senior living facility where he lives in Coral Gables. Silberman credits daily exercise to his longevity, he said in an interview with the Miami Herald a day before his May 1 birthday. Silberman is one of South Florida’s oldest living World War II veterans, having served as a communications and decoding officer aboard the battleship USS Arkansas in the Pacific.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Deal finder
During his first week of a summer internship in Madrid, Neil Jirele invited his new coworkers out for beer, but picking up the tab burned two weeks of spending money. Later that evening, another proprietor tried to lure him into his bar where the same beers were a quarter of the price, with live flamenco music, too. That moment would become the spark for AppyHour Technologies, a tech startup that Jirele founded and built with his college friend Jake Dye, AppyHour's CTO.
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