Florida mother furious after state snatched her lottery winnings when she went to collect her prize - and she is not alone

A broke young mother in Florida has been left distraught she was blocked from claiming her lottery winning. 

Wilson won $5,000 in January 2023, but was left distraught when she was told by the Lottery District Office that they would be holding her much-needed winnings because she 'may owe state-debt.' 

'It was hard for me during that time,' Brittany Wilson told ABC Action News.

'I was financially struggling … something just told me to go to the store and try out my winnings.'

Brittany Wilson (pictured) won $5,000 from a scratch off lottery ticket only  to find out that the Florida Lottery District Office would be holding on to her much-needed winnings because she 'may owe state-debt'

'I was thinking about all the bills that I have held up, just paying those off,' she said, adding she was looking forward to spending some money on her two kids who mean 'everything' to her.

Once the Florida Lottery District Office stopped Wilson from easily collecting her winnings, she was told to consult the state's Department of Economic Opportunity - now called the Department of Commerce.

She had been told she may owe the state money for previously received unemployment benefits.

All the while, Wilson doubted the legitimacy of the state's claim.

Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity - now called the Department of Commerce - has been cagey about disclosing the reason why so many Floridians are being told they owe the state money due to unemployment overpayment

She told ABC that she'd never received a letter, email, phone call, or any other form of communication from the state telling her she owed them money.

She also didn't have the same issue when she won $1,000 from a scratch off card the previous year.

She told the news station she called the Florida Unemployment Assistance Program 'almost every day,' only to encounter two or three-hour wait times to speak with someone who may or not be willing or able to provide her with valuable help.

'If you guys [the state] can find out if I’m working or if I’m not working to verify if I qualify for unemployment, you should be able to find some way to reach me. My email on that site is still the same,' she said.

'Something has to be done. This cannot keep happening - with the times now, where [the price of] everything’s going up: rent’s going up, food’s going up. Let me have this money,' she added.

Following ABC's probe, Wilson was eventually able to collect her winnings. Her alleged debt was also wiped from the system - but the reason this is still happening to so many others remains unclear

ABC's reporting revealed that Wilson is one of thousands of Floridians who have been given similar messages when they arrive to collect their lottery winnings - which is that they are being withheld because of past overpaid unemployment compensation.

Though some have fought the claims and won, the phenomenon does not seem to be going away.

The network reported Kylie McGivern said she'd been having an acutely difficult time getting in touch with anyone at the Commerce Department who could tell her why this is happening to hundreds of people.

Following ABC's probe, Wilson was eventually able to collect her winnings. Her alleged debt was also wiped from the system - but the reason this is still happening to so many others remains unclear.