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Largo Man Snares Top Summer Lottery Prize

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

David A. Parsons, 61, of Largo picked up his $250,000 Florida Lotto winnings at the Florida Lottery office in Tampa on Tuesday.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 12, 2008

BRANDON - David Parsons stuffed the Summer Cash Florida Lottery ticket into his wallet when he bought it two weeks ago and never gave it much thought after that. The drawing was Aug. 6.

On Sunday, he pulled the ticket out and glanced at the numbers. He glanced again.

"I thought I was going to stare those numbers right off the ticket," he said moments before was handed a check for $250,000, minus taxes, at the lottery office on U.S. 301 this morning.

The 61-year-old machinery salesman from Largo said he won't retire early, "but I might not work as hard," he said.

He plans to pay some medical bills, which came about because of an incident in March on the Pinellas Trail. He said he was rollerblading and was sideswiped by a passing bicyclist. He fell hard on his hip and was in the hospital for eight days, he said. He needed the help of a walker for eight weeks.

But all that was behind him as he grinned and chatted with lottery office workers while the paperwork was prepared this morning. Some friends and family sat in the waiting room, grinning just as widely.

Parsons said he plans to take a vacation this year and maybe travel to Japan.

"I'll be able to buy some souvenirs," he said.

He said he took a chance on the $5 ticket for the new Summer Cash game's Aug. 6 drawing, making his purchase at a 7-Eleven on Belcher Road in Largo. The $250,000 was the top prize. The other prizes — there were five — promised gasoline for life for the winners.

Mike Purcell, district manager for the Florida Lottery's office in Brandon, said the Summer Cash game has had five drawings, and three of the top prizes were snared by players in the Tampa Bay area.

"Tampa is lucky," Purcell said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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