Percy Golden II was nominted to serve as Jacksonville Fire Resuce Chief by Mayor Donna Deegan on Monday, June 30, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on June 30, 2025 at 5:40 pm
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Jacksonville has a new fire chief — Percy Golden II, a 21-year-veteran of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
Mayor Donna Deegan announced the appointment during a news conference Monday as the previous chief, Keith Powers, watched from the audience.
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Golden, a Sandalwood High School graduate, has been deputy divsion chief of emergency preparedness. His father is the firefighters union chaplain and current chief incident officer. His brother also is in the department.
“This is major for our family, not only my dad, following my dad’s footsteps, but my brother’s also on the fire department, and follow in his footsteps as well,” Golden said. “Just watching him over the years, being in the fire department family, seeing the camaraderie, the relationships he’s built over the years, just drew me to this department — just being able to help people.”
Golden becomes only the second Black fire chief in Jacksonville’s history. His appointment comes 30 years after Ray Alfred was recruited from Washington, D.C., by then-Mayor John Delaney.
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As she announced the choice of the 44-year-old Golden, Deegan said all five finalists for the position talked about how this city has a fire department of younger men and women now.
“As the department continues to grow, it essential that we have a chief who connected with the brave men and women who put their lives on the line day in and day out,” Deegan said before announcing Golden’s name, setting off applause and cheers in the audience.
“I think they like you, Chief,” Deegan told Golden. “I have had the opportunity to work with him closely at the (Emergency Operations Center), and I can tell you that he is calm and cool under pressure. He has led major projects with many moving parts and large staff, and he has been a trusted adviser in a number of emergency scenarios. Chief Golden never stops learning. I love that about him.”
The search for a new chief started when Powers announced his retirement in May after 29 years with the department, six of those leading it. His retirement was effective Sunday.
Seventeen candidates applied for the position, and interviews were held with all of them before five finalists were selected:
- Golden.
- Fire Prevention Deputy Division Chief Damian Bell.
- Rescue Division Chief Jake Blanton.
- Battalion Chief Darin Hooten.
- Deputy Director Willie King.
Deegan interviewed those five. She also selected Blanton as the deputy chief.
Golden’s resume and cover letter cited his “extensive experience” in firefighting, plus leadership, emergency medical services and emergency management over 21 years. He served as a firefighter and paramedic and cited his work in developing and implementing emergency preparedness programs
“Throughout my career with JFRD, I have a proven track record of various roles of successfully leading firefighting operations, ensuring the safety and well-being of personnel and the public,” his cover letter said. “During my time as a fire station captain, I successfully managed several teams of firefighters, overseeing their training development and performance.”
Among the jobs that Golden highlighted were coordinating and managing the department’s COVID-19 response from 2019 to 2021; leading an emergency team to Fort Myers and Sanibel Island after Hurricane Ian in 2022; and spearheading the implementation of the past two Jax Ready Fests.
“This was a competitive process,” Deegan said. “But the chief stood out to me for not only having a grasp of all the areas that we needed him to have a grasp of, but seemed truly to have a vision for this department, and excited about moving forward.”
Asked what his priorities will be as he takes over from Powers, Golden said the current hurricane season has already been discussed.
“We have looked at all that, and the budget process is coming up, so I am preparing for that,” Golden said. “A big piece for me is to protect the men and women of this department and give them the equipment they need to protect this city. We will look at training and some financial issues we can get a handle on.”
Golden’s father has been the chaplain for the firefighter’s union since 2007 and the fire department’s chaplain for many years. The Jacksonville Association of Firefighters website said Golden holds a doctorate of divinity and is bishop and pastor of The Holy Church of the Living God Revival Center.
Deegan thanked Powers for his years of leadership and service. She also made these administrative changes: King was named as manager of strategic initiatives; Dallas Cooke as chief of rescue; James Schaudel as deputy chief of emergency preparedness; Terrance Holmes as deputy chief of fire operations; and Chris Scott as deputy chief of administrative services.
City Council must confirm all of the selections.
