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Neighbors: Pinellas Park Lotto Winner Is Private Person

Tribune photo by CHRIS URSO

The winning ticket was sold at this Pinellas Park Winn-Dixie store.

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By RAY REYES and CARLOS MONCADA of The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 12, 2008

TAMPA - Neighbors are reacting to the news that a Pinellas Park woman won the $37 million Florida Lotto jackpot in the Feb. 20 drawing.

Linda Giguere, 61, chose the one-time lump-sum payment of about $20.8 million, lottery officials said. Giguere, who picked the winning numbers 10-12-20-25-28-39, bought her ticket at a Winn-Dixie store at 6501 102nd Ave. N. in Pinellas Park.

Giguere could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The Winn-Dixie received a bonus incentive of $45,000 for selling the winning ticket, officials said.

A woman at the rental home where Giguere lives with her family referred a reporter this morning to Giguere's attorney in Largo, Joseph Pippen.

Pippen said Giguere doesn't want publicity.

"I was with her in Tallahassee yesterday to collect her prize, and she doesn't want to make any public statements," Pippen said. "She wants to remain private, actually. That's why I went with her yesterday, to make sure that happened."

Some of Giguere's neighbors in the working-class neighborhood of modest, cement-block houses were aware that she had won the Lotto but had little to say.

"We're glad for her," said Melvin Reich, who lives next door.

Asked if he knows whether Giguere was a regular Lotto player, he said, "I think like me, once a week, as far as I know. But they didn't have a lot of money, so I don't think they did too much gambling."

A neighbor across the street, Becki Geiger, said she has known Giguere about 11 years. She described Giguere and her family as private people.

"I know they told us that they don't really want it out there yet," Geiger said. "They're just really good neighbors."

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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