Randolph Bracy and sister LaVon Bracy Davis PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

By David L. Snelling

Miami – A sibling rivalry is taking center stage in a race to replace the late Orange County state Sen. Geraldine Thompson.

State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis and her brother Randolph Bracy, a former state lawmaker, filed paperwork to run for the seat to be decided in a special election.

Thompson, a Democrat, died in February following complications from knee replacement surgery.

She served in the Florida Legislature from 2006 until her death.

District 15 covers portions of Orange County, Windermere and Lake Buena Vista.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to call a special election but Democrats are pushing him to do so quickly.

Last year, Randolph Bracy, 47, unsuccessfully challenged Thompson, who won 61 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary.

Bracy Davis said the race will not drive a wedge between the two siblings.

She wants to be the heir apparent to Thompson.

“Today’s announcement was about continuing the legacy and mission Sen. Thompson started,” Bracy Davis said in a statement. “I love my brother, and I wish him well. I’m not running against anyone. I am running eventually for the people of Senate District 15.”

Bracy couldn’t be reached for comments.

Bracy told reporters he was disappointed and in disbelief over his sister’s decision to run against him.

“This is a sad day for the Bracy name.

My sister choosing to run against me dishonors our father’s legacy in every way possible,” he said. “I will not disparage our father, who believed in this family, by debating my sister in any format. People know my record, and I will continue to walk and live in the light, putting the people over power.”

Bracy, who was born in Jacksonville, served in the Florida Senate representing portions of Orange County and was the first Black to serve as chair of the Criminal Justice Committee and championed Juneteenth as a state holiday.

He also served in the Florida House from 2012 to 2016.

Bracy earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary and a MBA from the University of Central Florida.

Bracy ran for Congress in 2022 to replace Val Demings, who stepped down to run for the U.S. Senate.

He finished second in the Democratic Primary behind the eventual winner Maxwell Frost.

Bracy Davis, an attorney by trade, was elected to the Florida House in 2022, representing the 40th district which constitutes areas in Orange County.

Prior to her political career, Bracy Davis served as a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families and director of community programming for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Bracy Davis was born in Rochester, New York and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Howard University and law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law.