Florida Lottery officials said a Largo woman was the winner of a $43 million jackpot, and she said she's not keeping a penny of it.
Ruby Sorah, 90, matched all six winnings numbers in the February 17 Florida Lotto drawing.
Officials said Sorah chose to receive her winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment of $31,042,330.
Though she wouldn't go on camera, Sorah told local media that she and her husband, also 90 years old, were giving the whole jackpot away to family and they have no plans to change their lives at all.
Neighbors, who said the couple is very low-key, are thrilled for them.
"It's God-sent. It's heart-warming," said Rick O'Callaghan, whose brother owns a house across the street. "It's great. They're the quietest, nicest, most reserved people you ever saw in your life. He only comes out to get the mail. Still mows his own lawn. Real, real simple people, got a real, real simple life."
O'Callaghan said, if he won the lottery, he's not sure he'd be able to give it all away.
"[I would] pay off some of my bills. Maybe try and buy a house or something like that," he said.
Other neighbors said they might do the same thing as the Sorahs.
"I think if I were in their situation, I would seriously thinking about doing the same thing. So God bless them. That's just super," a neighbor said.
Ruby Sorah purchased the winning ticket at a Winn-Dixie grocery store on Park Boulevard in Seminole. The store will receive $100,000 in commission for selling the ticket.
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Lucky family members.
She looks absolutely fabulous!
90!
She looks like a nice lady too. They probably were happy with their lives so far and thought
why change now....give it to the younger people to enjoy.
Why even claim the Winnings if you're giving it away to Family? Let the Family Claim it and Avoid the Gift Tax!
was my 1st thoughts. maybe they dont plan on giving it straight away, but over time and make sure everyone gets a cut. I mean gove it to one or 2 people and you rely on them sharing it. theyre in no hurry nice iea, but i would keep a little something for my old age
Maybe they are just pi$$ed off they didn't win it in their twenties or even sixties. I would be pi$$ed off too, for crying out loud.
After the IRS gets 40% they will end up with $18.6 million.
The gift tax could also be 40% or higher if you give a person more than $14,000.00 per year.
Ruby, Congratulations on winning and living that long. 90 years.
Here I am considering taking the 30-year annuity and you give me hope that I can live that long.
Here is a common quote among senior citizens, "I did not expect to live this long."
Congratulations Ruby
Aw, that is so great! It's nice when down to earth people win.
Congratulations to the family members. I hope I win big before I am 90? Or else I would be doing the same thing she did.
It's a doggone shame the older Ms. didn't have some more years to enjoy this money. She did the right thing, and you and I are on the same key as to what we'd do with it if we became her age by that time. (and the way it looks, I hope just to live to 90.)
She has no needs now, whatsoever. It'll all be taken care of for her, and her husband.
NICE HIT GRANNY!
Yes, isn't that the doggone truth?
Yes, My Pie Master, I agree 100%.
Music* figures they'll end up with 18 million.
I just hope I get 1/18 as lucky as them, some day, after taxes.
Even with 18.6 million (according to Music*'s calc.) left in liquid, it's hard for me to believe they're not going to give some of it away.
Even though Florida is a "0% lotto tax" state, according to usamega.com, whoever claims it is going to pay 25% Federal tax, right off the bat. Then, I don't know how the individual states calculate the lotto tax, if they are a state that will tax your lotto winnings. Do they look at last year's returns? Who knows what would have been better?
But, they're going to have a hefty tax, either way, and I'm pretty confident with Music*'s calculation.
The Feds. get you, coming and going, it seems.
When ever , I win the lottery , I will share my winnings
with 10 people and donate to charities .
I will make sure all 11 of us live with in our means .
No Mansions , No Luxury vehicles like into the $100,000's ,
etcccc ..... I've many charities to give too.
Make the money last for Generations .
This isn't my entire plan there's much more !!!!
People can say anything they want to the cameras, it doesn't mean they will follow through. I'm writing my jackpot story right now, knowing it's going to make those lottery posters twist.
This is a great story and it's nice to hear how many people think kindly of them. I get it. At 90 the house is probably paid, debts are gone and they've settled into this comfortable routine. Why change what you're happy with?
However, even though it is a lot of money that the family never had before, why-o-why would they give away so much in taxes for no good reason? My estimate puts them throwing away about $8.5M assuming each spouse is allotted ~$5.4M before the gift tax kicks in.
Maybe after they speak with an accountant or tax attorney, they'll change their minds about doing it this way. Should have either given the ticket to the family for them to collect, or included them in claiming the ticket, then put their share in a trust and have it be divided out without additional tax burdens. $8 million dollars down the drain if done the way the article is stating. Hope it was just poor reporting and not true.
That $14,000 is only the ANNUAL exclusion and both spouses can give that much away so really it is $28,000 per married couple. Then they have their Lifetime Exclusion which is $5,450,000 per person in 2016 or $10.9 million per couple they can give away. So while they can't give it all away they can give a good chunk of it away without incurring tax. That $5.45 million figure is for estate and gift tax so the estate might have to pay estate tax on anything they had left but in the mean time they can watch their family enjoy their good fortune while they are still living.
I think their tax bill would "only" be about $3.2 million. They get about $18.8 after taxes, can exclude $10.9 million and the top gift tax rate is 40% on what is left. It is still crazy, crazy, crazy.
Then I was thinking....maybe she is crazy like a fox! You probably don't get to be 90 without learning a thing or two. So she tells the media that she is giving it all away to family so no one bothers her or asks her for anything. Has any one ever seen this so called family? Those could be models in the photo with her.
Ok, not really serious about that last bit but you never know.
I really hope when she says she is giving it all away to family she means planned giving with the advice of a good attorney. I hate to think of the IRS getting all that loot due to poor planning.
I hope the family appreciate it.
So many kids just let the old people sit alone and care about themselves.
I know as my mother was 95 and there is 6 kids and only my sister and I cared about her.
The resthadno time but believe me when she was dying the others sure came around as they knew there was something there to get.
To make a long story short I am spending my money.
If there is some left they will get it.
As long as I can enjoy life I am going to.
Sure not going to sit in rocking chair wasting away so kids can have it.
My hubby and I worked for that money.
I think they should keep some as you never know what is in store in life and you can't rely on family all the time.
Some of you may think I am cold but been there a few times and am older myself
Taxes why should they worry what they have to pay.
They didn't have the money before so anything is better than nothing.
Besides it wasn't theirs to begin with
Grandma and Grandpa think twice.
Congratulations to the couple. They will be inundated with relatives visiting. The will also have to review security at their house, or move to try and restore some privacy.
State governments, that require winners to be publicly identified, really need to rethink that policy, before something dreadful happens.
My thought exactly. So all this * time ( years perhaps) you have been reaching into your pocket, shelling out your own money hoping to win, and then come to the conclusion that it's best just giving the millions away?
Very good point. Give the media disinformation and send them on a wild goose chase. I'll have to keep that in mind when I win.....
Hello Aunt Ruby, forgot you lived in Largo. Call me!!
Agreed, however you and I both know as other LP members that folks have been robbed, killed over lottery winnings.
If the delightful couple were British, they could remain anonymous and the prize money would be tax-free.
Yes, I hope they consult with a tax attorney and CPA before making a final decision. I think giving people who are not used to having millions of dollars in one fell swoop could be detrimental. But doling it out over many years is not only prudent, but a healthy legacy.
I myself have thought that if I ever won a huge jackpot and I couldn't keep my identity a secret, I would announce that I was giving all the money to charity. That would hopefully deter some of the bombardment from flim flam artist, law suits and long-lost relatives.
Say I won $100 million. They would chop $25 million in Federal taxes off the top, so I would divide the rest to several charities. But, what people tend to forget is that I would only be paying taxes on the $25 million held by the IRS after all is said and done. So $25 million taxed at 39.6% will be $9,900,000 in taxes and I will get back $15,100,000 (or there about). I would still be wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, and perhaps on the Board of these charities to keep me busy and useful. Just my thought.