A Florida man has paid overdue utility bills for 114 families, so their service won't turn off for the 2020 holiday season.
Michael Esmond, a businessman, isn't new to giving back during the holidays.
According to Fox News, in 2019, he paid utility bills for 36 families in Gulf Breeze, Florida, just before Christmas.
Esmond, who owns Gulf Breeze Pools & Spa near Pensacola, said he donated $7,615 this holiday season as his community faces economic struggles due to the COVID-19 pandemic and damage from Hurricane Sally.
"We're in an area here that's a big vacation area and our summer was devastated," Esmond said. "It became a no-brainer that this year was going to be alot worse for some families than what last year was. The pandemic and mother nature really threw the coup de grace with Hurricane Sally."
With many families struggling financially during this challenging time, Esmond wanted to make sure people weren't stressed during the holiday season.
Joanne Oliver, the city's utility billing supervisor, explained how the money would go toward bills from customers who were 60 days late for their gas, water, and sewer utilities. She also said how the balance left over will help people who were 30 days past due.
"We don't ever do cut-offs near a holiday," Oliver said. "If Christmas falls on a cut-off day, we're not cutting people off. It will get delayed until the following week."
Last Christmas, Esmond donated $4,600 to help pay off his neighbors' bills.
The father of three shared that in 1983, he experienced financial struggles and worried about making a deadline for his bills.
"I just didn't have enough money to put food on the table and pay all the bills," Esmond said. "That winter it got down to 6 degrees... the coldest winter we've ever had."
So far, the city has received several anonymous donations to cover utility bills totaling $2,050.
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