Wednesday, October 12, 2016
James T. Golden has served on the Bradenton City Council and has unsuccessfully run for both Congress and the Manatee County Commission, is running for the Florida House’s District 73 seat. He faces Republican candidate Joe Gruters in the November 8th, 2016 General Election. In 2010 James T. Golden took on Congressman Vern Buchanan for the District 13 seat, James Golden lost in a landslide, Vern Buchanan won the 2010 General Election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District with 68.9% of the vote to Golden’s 31.1%. In 2012, James T. Golden sought the District 5 seat on the Manatee County Commission, but was soundly defeated again by sitting commissioner Vanessa Baugh in the general election. James T. Golden is a member of the Florida Bar and a member in good standing with a clear 10-Year Discipline History but Attorney James T. Golden was Suspended for 90 Days in 1988 by the Florida Bar Who Then Sought his Disbarment in 1990, see info below.
Joe Gruters is a fourth generation Sarasotan, His great grandfather William Hobson moved the family to Sarasota in 1922 to serve as the chief tent maker for Ringling Circus. Joe graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1996 and is a graduate of both the Florida State University (undergraduate degree) and the University of South Florida (Masters in Business Administration, MBA). Joe currently works as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and owns Gruters CPA. For the last 20 years Joe has been working at the grass roots level as both a Party activist and leader including having served as Congressman Buchanan’s Campaign Manager, as President of the Young Republicans, as a volunteer on numerous campaigns, as Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and for the last 7 years as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, a post which he has held longer than any other Chairman in Sarasota County’s history.
Joe is also an active member of the community and local government. Joe previously served as the Chairman of the Sarasota County Planning Commission, on the Board of Directors for the Florida Sports Foundation and served on the Executive Board and as Treasurer for the Sarasota Humane Society. Joe currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Florida State University where he serves as Chairman of the Presidential Compensation Committee as well as the Student Affairs Committee.
Joe also serves on the University of South Florida Community Leadership Counsel at the Sarasota Campus and is a member of the downtown Kiwanis. Joe has worked for Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13) in both corporate and political roles. Joe began working for Congressman Buchanan in 2000 and served as Campaign Manager for Buchanan’s successful 2008 re-election campaign. Under Joe’s leadership, Buchanan increased his margin of victory from 369 votes in 2006 to over 66,415 in 2008. Following the 2008 election, Congressional Quarterly reported that Buchanan had the largest increase in victory margin in the entire country in 2006 rematches. Joe Gruters is married to Sydney and they have three children, Spencer and Jack and Elizabeth.
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives will take place in November 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election will be held on Tuesday November 8th 2016. James T. Golden and Joe Gruters are running in the Florida House of Representatives District 73 general election. James T. Golden ran unopposed in the Florida House of Representatives District 73 Democratic primary. Attorney James T. Golden currently is a member of the Florida Bar in good standing.
Party
Candidate
Vote %
Votes
Republican
Joe Gruters
50.95%
10,346
Republican
Steve Vernon
49.05%
9,961
Total Votes
20,307
Florida House of Representatives, District 73 Republican Primary, 2016 Joe Gruters defeated Steve Vernon in the Florida House of Representatives District 73 Republican primary by only 346 votes, see above. As in all elections, the general public is entitled to have some vetting of candidates for public office, the who, what, where, why, and how come is relevant. So why did the Florida Bar seek the disbarment of Attorney James T. Golden in 1990?
Attorney/Pastor/Politician James T. Golden is the Democrat Candidate for District 73 Florida House of Representatives in the November 2016 Election. Attorney James T. Golden was suspended from the Florida Bar for 90 Days by the Supreme Court of Florida in 1988 and in 1990 the Florida Bar sought his disbarment. According to the filing of the Supreme Court of Florida, attorney James T. Golden was accused of Dereliction of Duty in a Malpractice case in Manatee County and did not file an amended Complaint for his client in a timely matter, again and again. On October 24th, 1988 attorney James T. Golden was suspended from practice as an attorney for 90 days and was fined $1,331.41 with a stipulation that upon paying the fine James T. Golden will be on probation for 1 year, so says the Supreme Court of Florida., see http://archive.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/70497/op-70497.pdf
Despite his Suspension and Probation James T. Golden continued to practice law in Manatee County Fl. On February 21, 1989 the Florida Bar filed its Motion For Order to Show Cause, see http://archive.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/73747/73747ans.pdf
The Florida Bar v. Golden 563 So. 2d 81 (1990)
THE FLORIDA BAR, Complainant, v. James T. GOLDEN, Respondent.
Supreme Court of Florida. May 31, 1990.
Rehearing Denied July 26, 1990.
John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director, and John T. Berry, Staff Counsel, Tallahassee, and Jan Wichrowski, Bar Counsel, Orlando, for complainant. Richard T. Earle, Jr. of Earle and Earle, St. Petersburg, for respondent.
PER CURIAM. In this proceeding we are concerned with whether Golden practiced law while under suspension and, if so, the determination of appropriate discipline therefor. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 15, Fla. Const. On September 22, 1988 this Court suspended Golden from the practice of law for ninety days, beginning October 24, 1988, and until paying the costs of the proceeding. The Florida Bar v. Golden, 530 So. 2d 931 (Fla. 1988). We also placed Golden on a one-year probation to begin upon his reinstatement, but, although we usually do so, we put no restrictions on Golden’s securing new clients during the thirty-day hiatus between the filing of our opinion and the beginning of his suspension. On October 16, 1988, prior to the effective date of the suspension, a man contacted Golden about representing him on two separate traffic offenses. Golden agreed to represent him for a fee of $1,800 ($900 per case). The client paid him $600, and Golden drafted and filed two pleadings: a “written plea of not guilty, waiver of personal appearance” for one offense and a request for a continuance” for the other offense. The client signed the pleadings as pro se and, approximately two weeks later, paid Golden an additional $200.
On December 16, 1988 Golden arrived in Manatee County Court with his client, and the presiding judge notified Golden that he was aware of Golden’s suspension and asked him to leave the courtroom. The bar thereafter filed a motion for order to show cause why Golden should not be held in contempt for failing to abide by his suspension. Golden contends there is no clear and convincing evidence that he practiced law while suspended. We agree that his practice was minimal, but declare that counseling and attempting to assist his client in requesting two continuances constituted the unauthorized practice of law. It appears that Golden shut down his office because the client unsuccessfully sought to find him there. There is a dispute in the testimony on whether Golden told the client he had been suspended for ninety days. Golden claimed he did while the client testified otherwise. The referee found that Golden had not notified this client of his suspension. We also note that there is no evidence that Golden furnished his clients with a copy of the order of suspension as required by rule 3-5.1(h), Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. Although the bar initially requested a ninety-one-day suspension, the referee recommended a one-year suspension due to the seriousness of Golden’s failure to abide by his suspension, failure to inform the client of his suspension, failure to refund the $800, lack of remorse, and his lengthy history of past disciplinary actions. The Florida Bar v. Golden, 530 So. 2d 931 (Fla. 1988) (ninety-day suspension); The Florida Bar v. Golden, 502 So. 2d 891 (Fla. 1987) (ten-day suspension); The Florida Bar v. Golden, 401 So. 2d 1340 (Fla. 1981) (public reprimand). The Florida bar, pursuant to action by the board of governors, now seeks disbarment of Attorney James T. Golden.
We believe the referee’s recommendation is appropriate and should be approved. Had Golden’s practice been more direct or more substantial, we would agree with the bar. Unfortunately, Golden’s actions indicate he may have difficulty in fulfilling his role as an officer of the court, but we do not believe his presently determined malfeasance should cause disbarment. We therefore approve the referee’s findings that Golden violated the terms of his ninety-day suspension. As penalty therefor Golden is suspended as a member of The Florida Bar for one year and thereafter until he has proved that he is rehabilitated. This suspension is to begin thirty days from the date this opinion is filed, thereby giving Golden time to notify his clients and close out his practice. He shall accept no new business during that thirty-day period. He is enjoined from practicing law until reinstated. Judgment for costs in the amount of $1,271.86 is hereby entered against Golden, for which sum let execution issue. It is so ordered.
EHRLICH, C.J., and OVERTON, McDONALD, BARKETT, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur.
SHAW, J., recused.
According to the Bio posted for James T. Golden, he received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1974. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1975, James T. Golden was a practicing attorney until he felt the call of a different vocation in 1981, (according to his bio he stopped practicing law in 1981 on his own accord but he was suspended in 1988 by a court order and faced disbarment in 1990?). He then began attending the Turner Theological Seminary at Atlanta University, where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1984. Since 1993, James T. Golden has served his community as pastor of Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in Bradenton, he also served two terms on the Bradenton City Council after being elected in 1999 and 2003. James T. Golden is a 2016 Democratic candidate for District 73 of the Florida House of Representatives. Golden was a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Manatee County School Board in Florida. He faced Julie B. Aranibar, Mary S. Cantrell and Carlton “Les” Nichols in the general election on August 26, 2014.
Candidate
Vote %
Votes
Nonpartisan
Julie B. Aranibar Incumbent
37.1%
15,018
Nonpartisan
Mary S. Cantrell
35.3%
14,274
Nonpartisan
James T. Golden
17.8%
7,193
Nonpartisan
Carlton “Les” Nichols
9.9%
3,996
Total Votes
40,481
Golden received a total of $6,435.00 in campaign contributions and spent a total of $4,719.94, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections. Golden did not receive an endorsement in this election.
Bill Warner Private Investigator Sarasota SEX, CRIME CHEATERS & TERRORISM at http://www.wbipi.com
Posted by Bill Warner at 2:25 PM
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Labels: Democrat Candidate James T. Golden vs Republican Candidate Joe Gruters For Florida House’s District 73 Seat VOTE Joe Gruters November 8th.