Career
Florence was born in 1934 to Hozel and Berth Florence. He came under the influence of evangelist Marshall Keeble in his mid-teens. He was educated at Nashville Christian Institute from 1948 to 1952.
He later attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, dropping out after two years to return home.
He moved to Rochester in 1959. He immediately became involved with endeavors aimed to help improve the living conditions of blacks living in the Rochester community.
Founding of Fight
Its first convention in Rochester attracted 1,500 people.