TAMPA, Fla. – In a hot Publix parking lot in south St. Petersburg, Howie Guja, the guy with the megawatt smile and the Publishers Clearing House blazer, took a selfie behind a minivan as he held an oversize novelty check for $10,000.
Guja and a camera operator named George had flown into Tampa onWednesday morning from New York. The check traveled separately by FedEx. Cramming it into an overhead compartment, they knew from experience, would beat it up.
The men were in town as the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, of which they are the sole members. They were preparing to surprise a St. Petersburg resident…