Franklin Delano Roosevelt Florence Sr. (August 9, 1933 – February 1, 2023) was an American Christian minister who was heavily involved in civil rights work in Rochester, New York, for five decades.
Prior to his death, he served as the senior pastor at the Central Church of Christ in Rochester, which he founded.
[2] At the age of 25, Florence was recruited to become the pastor of the Reynolds Street Church of Christ in Rochester, New York, where he moved with his wife and children.
In 1967, FIGHT successfully negotiated an agreement with Eastman Kodak to hire 600 African-American workers in a jobs training program.
Eltrex experienced initial success and employed 350 workers at its peak, but struggled to finance expansions and went out of business in 2011.
He started a new congregation at the Central Church of Christ in response, where he and his son Clifford would continue preaching until his death.
In a 2018 interview, he stated that little progress had been made in the fight against racism since the start of the civil rights movement.