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TALLAHASSEE - The Legislature voted unanimously Thursday to direct $30.1-million from an unclaimed lottery jackpot to public colleges and universities.
A ticket sold in the Miami area in March was the sole winner of a $50-million jackpot, but nobody turned it in before a 180-day deadline. State law normally requires unclaimed winnings to be put back into promotions and prizes. But against a background of universities and community colleges' complaints that their needs have far exceeded what lawmakers expected when they wrote the budget last year, Gov. Jeb Bush asked the Legislature to make this exception.
The $30.1-million is what the jackpot would be worth had the winner taken a lump-sum payment instead of 30 annual payments.
Under the bill, colleges and universities can use the $30.1-million to match private donations.