A Florida businessman started a global trend with a single act of kindness. Mike Esmond, of Gulf Breeze, paid off past-due utility bills for 36 local families as a Christmas gift. The idea arose from his own long-ago experience of not having enough money to keep the electricity running. After a story about his gift appeared in the Pensacola News Journal, Esmond has been getting messages from all over the world from people who have been inspired to similar good deeds.