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Florida Man Pays Utility Bills For 114 Families At Risk Of Having Utilities Shut Off

December 11, 2020

Florida businessman Michael Esmond has once again paid the utility bills of families who are at risk of having their utilities shut off this holiday season.

Michael Esmond / Credit: Danielle Apolinar

Last year, Esmond paid the utility bills of 36 households in his community of Gulf Breeze. This year he decided to up the ante since people are out of work and have to stay at home due to COVID-19.

Esmond donated $7,615.40 to pay for the past-due bills of 114 households, according to Joanne Oliver, the city's utility billing supervisor. Holiday cards notifying the residents will be mailed this week, she says.

Esmond, the owner of Gulf Breeze Pools and Spas, says he had a good year in 2020 and wants to "share what I have with the people who need it."

"I have been down on my luck like people are today, where I had trouble paying bills and raising three daughters," he told CNN. "The gas company shut the gas off and we didn't have any heat."

"That's probably one of the biggest motivators for me, because I've been there."