Rev. James Golden Recognized by Florida Bar for 50 Years of Practice
Rev. James T. Golden was recently recognized by the Florida Bar for achieving 50 years of the practice of law in the State of Florida. Attorneys who have achieved 50 years of practice are recognized for their dedication and service. Those lawyers who are in good standing were recognized during a luncheon last month at the 2025 Annual Florida Bar Convention in Boca Raton. Rev. Golden has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1975.
Rev. Golden earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Stetson University, a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Florida, and a Masters of Divinity degree from Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia. He has been active in the Manatee County community for many years. He served a four-year term on the Manatee County School Board becoming the first African American male to be elected to the school board. During his four year term, he served as the Board Vice-Chair, and became the first African American male to serve as Chairman. He was also a school-board member of the Florida School Board Association where he served as Vice-Chair of the Equity Committee and a member of the Advocacy Committee.
The immediate past State Committeeman for the Manatee County DEC, Rev. Golden was Chair of the 16th Congressional District Caucus and served two four year terms as a member of the Bradenton City Council. He is the immediate past board chairman of Centerstone – Florida, serves as a board member of Centerstone of America Foundation, a corporate Board Resource Group member, and member the corporation’s National Policy Committee.
Rev. Golden retired in October 2023 as a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He most recently served as pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church in Tampa, and previously served as the pastor of Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in Bradenton for 21 years. He has been in the Pastoral Ministry of the AME Church since 1981, and is the immediate past Chair of the Social Action Committee of the Eleventh Episcopal District, which is comprised of the State of Florida and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, having served more than a decade in that role.
A Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran, Rev. Golden is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and the Manatee County Branch-NAACP Executive Committee where he is current Chair of the Legal Redress Committee. He currently serves as secretary of the Council of Florida Churches, Incorporated and is the Grand Counsellor Prince Hall AF&AM of Florida, Inc. He is married to Mildred Moten-Golden, and they have a blended family of 6 children, 14 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.
