Florida Statute 24.1051
“Exemptions from inspection or copying of public records”
What it means
This is the lottery's public-records exemption. The department's security systems, game data, and background-investigation files are confidential. For winners, two protections matter: every winner's street address and telephone number are confidential unless the winner consents to release — and the name of anyone who wins $250,000 or more is confidential for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed.
After the 90 days, the name is public record. The winner-name exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and stands repealed on October 2, 2027, unless the Legislature reenacts it.
- Every winner's street address and telephone number stay confidential unless the winner consents.
- Winners of $250,000 or more: the name itself is exempt for 90 days from the claim date.
- After 90 days the winner's name is public record — the exemption is a delay, not anonymity.
- The name exemption sunsets October 2, 2027 unless reenacted.
- Oversight bodies — the Auditor General, OPPAGA, and legislative leaders — can still access exempt records on request.
How it plays out
Ninety days is planning time. Families of large-prize winners use the window to get counsel, trust structures, and security in place before the name becomes public — once it does, solicitations arrive quickly. For estates, the address-and-phone exemption means a winner's file is never fully open, and what the Lottery will release about a prize runs through this section. We calendar the 90th day the way we calendar a creditor deadline: it is the date the situation changes.
Questions people ask
