Florida resident pays 114 families overdue utility bills - ForumDaily
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Florida Resident Paid Overdue Utility Bills to 114 Families

Florida business owner paid overdue utility bills to 114 households facing blackouts, writes CNN.

Gulf Breeze. Photo: Shutterstock

Michael Esmond's generosity was publicly shown last year when he paid utility bills to 36 families in his Gulf Breeze area. This year, when Hurricane Sully and the pandemic-driven economic crisis hit the city, he thought he needed to raise the rates.

“This year is probably more meaningful to me than last year, with unemployed people forced to stay home during the pandemic,” Esmond told CNN. “Hurricane Sally hit us pretty hard and hurt a lot of people.” There are still a lot of roofs in the area that are just covered with tarps.”

Esmond donated $ 7615,40 to pay overdue bills to 114 families, according to Joan Oliver, the city's utility bills inspector. She says holiday cards notifying residents of payment will be mailed this week.

Esmond's donation has increased from the $ 4600 he paid last year. Now, he says, he has been able to help about three times as many families. The thing is, there were many residents with bills of $ 100 or less, so he was able to help more people.

“It really affected me - people can't even afford to pay $100 for utilities. “Everything is so bad,” Esmond laments. “That’s why I was able to pay for 114 families.”

On the subject: 'Many need help': a couple from Florida paid rent for dozens of local residents

In 2020, 74-year-old Esmond, owner of Gulf Breeze Pools and Spas, was doing well. He says he is "almost ashamed" to tell people about this because he knows how hard it was for many.

“We've had a good year, so I want to share what I have with people who need it,” he explained.

In addition to the economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic, Gulf Breeze has been battling the lingering effects of Hurricane Sally, which hit the poor hard.

Authorities said in September that the hurricane accident resulted in part of the newly built bridge is damaged across Pensacola Bay, which connects to Breeze Bay. The barge crashed into a part of the structure known locally as the Three Mile Bridge.

Given the chaos wreaked by the pandemic in the city, Oliver said residents received a longer grace period before their water, gas and sewer utilities were cut off.

“We do not disconnect customers for non-payment until they are more than 60 days past due,” Oliver explained.

Esmond's check covered the accounts of people who were 60 days overdue. The balance then covered the bills of those who were more than 30 days overdue and had a deferral for COVID-19 because they were directly affected by the virus.

“Even though our country and our city are currently facing perhaps their most difficult years, there are still generous and kind people who truly want to help others,” Oliver said. “This is more important now than ever.”

Esmond's generosity comes from understanding. In the 1980s, his utilities were cut off for non-payment.

“I was down on my luck when I was having trouble paying bills and raising three daughters,” he recalls. “The company turned off the gas and we had no heat.”

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It was the coldest winter he had ever experienced in the area, he said.

“I can understand people suffering and not being able to pay their bills,” Esmond said. “That’s probably one of the strongest motivations for me, because I lived through it.”

The date of Esmond's donation is no coincidence.

“People can't afford to pay bills and put food on the table, so I hope that I can do my part to pay some of these people's bills and it will take some of the stress off them for Christmas,” the donor concluded.

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