A Marion County resident won over $67,000 just minutes before the new year from a lottery ticket he purchased at a local gas station.
Michel Marvin Kempink claimed the $67,145.53 top prize from the Florida Lottery’s Fantasy 5 evening drawing held on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
Villages-News.com first reported the unclaimed lottery ticket in early January.
According to lottery records, Kempink purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at the Summerfield BP, located at 9945 SE Highway 42 in south Marion County.
The winning numbers for the New Year’s Eve evening drawing were 1, 5, 6, 29, and 34.
Kempink’s ticket was one of two winning tickets sold for that specific drawing. The other top prize went to Tamer Maged Tadros of Miami Lakes, who purchased his ticket at a store in Fort Lauderdale.
While any retailer can validate a winning ticket worth less than $600, prizes ranging from $600 to $250,000 must be claimed at a Florida Lottery district office. Fantasy 5 drawings are held twice daily, seven days a week.
The prize marks the second big win for a Marion County resident over the past month. On January 6, an Ocala resident claimed a $150,000 prize from a scratch-off ticket that she purchased at a local Winn-Dixie.