You’re holding a piece of paper that just solved all your problems… and created a dozen new ones. The biggest one? In a few hours, it’s going to feel like every person you’ve ever met (and 10,000 you haven’t) knows your name, your net worth, and a “can’t-miss” investment opportunity for you.

So, the million-dollar question (or hundred-million-dollar question) is: Can you stay anonymous after winning the lottery in Florida?

The short answer is no. The long answer is yes, if you’re smart about it.

Let’s bust the myths and get to the legal facts.

The Big Myth: The 90-Day “Anonymity Law”

You may have heard that Florida passed a law to protect lottery winners. This is true, but it’s widely misunderstood.

Here’s the reality: Florida Statute 24.1051 gives winners of prizes $250,000 or more a 90-day public records exemption for their name.

This sounds great, but here are the two giant catches:

1. It’s Temporary: After 90 days, your name is 100% public record. Anyone who files a request can get it.
2. The Clock Starts When You Claim: The 90-day timer begins the second you walk into the lottery office and claim your prize.

This 90-day window isn’t for you to hide forever. It’s a grace period designed to give you just enough time to get your life in order before the world finds out. It’s the time you’re supposed to use to change your phone number, set up a new P.O. box, and, most importantly, hire a legal team.

After that 90-day clock expires, the following information becomes public:

• Your full name
• Your city of residence (but not your street address)
• The game you won and the date
• The jackpot amount

Your home address and phone number do remain confidential, which is a small comfort. But “Jane Doe of Sarasota” is more than enough information for the world to find you.

The Real Solution: How Winners Actually Stay Private

So, if the law says your name will be public, how do you see headlines about “a Florida winner” claiming the prize?

They aren’t claiming it as a person. They are claiming it as a legal entity.

This is the “loophole” that isn’t really a loophole—it’s just smart legal planning. The Florida Lottery allows an entity, such as a trust or a Limited Liability Company (LLC), to be the official claimant of a prize.

Here is the step-by-step legal strategy:

Step 1: DO NOT SIGN YOUR TICKET (Yet!) An unsigned ticket is a “bearer instrument” (whoever holds it, owns it). A ticket signed with your personal name can create legal headaches when trying to assign it to a trust. The first thing you should do is…

Step 2: Go Quiet and Call an Attorney. Before you tell your family, before you quit your job—your first call is to an experienced Florida estate planning or asset protection attorney. This is the single most important move you can make.

Step 3: Your Attorney Creates a Trust. Your lawyer will quickly draft a legal entity, most often a revocable living trust or a blind trust. This trust will have a wonderfully generic name, like:

• “The Sunshine Winners Trust”
• “123 Main Street Holdings”
• “The Acorn Trust”

Step 4: You Sign the Ticket… as the Trustee. Your attorney will guide you on how to properly sign and claim the ticket on behalf of the trust. You are no longer “Jane Doe, Winner.” You are “Jane Doe, as Trustee for The Sunshine Winners Trust.”

Step 5: Your Attorney Claims the Prize. Your lawyer, as the representative of the trust, will be the one who contacts the Florida Lottery. The lottery’s “Winner Claim Form” is filled out in the name of the trust.

The Result: Privacy Secured

Now, when the 90-day anonymity period expires, what does the public record show?

• Winner: The Sunshine Winners Trust
• City of Residence: (Often, the city of your law firm)

Your personal name is nowhere in the public record. The checks are written to the trust, which your lawyer and financial team have set up to protect you. You get all the money, but none of the dangerous publicity.

You Have One Chance to Do This Right

This strategy has a 100% non-negotiable requirement: You MUST do all of this before you walk into the Florida Lottery headquarters.

Once you claim that prize in your own name, the clock starts, and the process is irreversible. You can’t undo it.

Winning the lottery is a stroke of luck. Protecting it is a matter of strategy.

Contact Us Immediately… If you’re holding a winning ticket, your next move is your most important one. Contact our team for a confidential consultation before you claim your prize. We provide the clarity and security to protect your new life.

See More:

Lottery Attorney Florida

So You Just Won the Florida Lotto? Congratulations… Now Keep Quiet!

Lump Sum vs. Annuity: A Florida Lottery Winner’s Guide to the Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make