Anthony-Smith will face off against Bracy siblings in race
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
A third candidate has tossed her hat into the ring for the Florida Senate District 15 seat that was vacated when state Sen. Geraldine Thompson died in February.
Attorney Coretta Anthony-Smith officially announced her campaign on Thursday, April 17, at her law firm Anthony-Smith Law in Ocoee.
Thompson died on Feb. 13 due to complications from knee replacement surgery. Being in Florida politics for almost two decades, Thompson won her last elected position as state senator in 2024.
She leaves behind a legacy as a civil rights champion who defended voters’ rights and helped to maintain local African American history.
“Let me be clear — Senator Geraldine Thompson is a tough act to follow,” Anthony-Smith said in a statement. “She was one of the greats. She was a servant throughout her entire career. Our community loved her dearly and will never forget the work she has done for us.”
If elected, Anthony-Smith said she will prioritize securing affordable property insurance for District 15 homeowners, strengthening public safety, and expanding affordable housing for constituents, according to her campaign website.
“In this race, we have to tune out the drama and the distractions and focus on the issues,” she said in the statement. “Pine Hills, Washington Shores, Historic Parramore, Winter Garden, Ocoee, Gotha, parts of Oakland, the Dr. Phillips area, Historic Eatonville and Apopka residents are struggling to get the kind of public safety, affordable housing and affordable insurance that residents need to live comfortably. That’s what we need to focus on.”
A native Floridian, Anthony-Smith is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She began her legal career at firms across the state before launching her own practice in Orlando in 2007.
Anthony-Smith will face off against two Bracy siblings, who, over the course of two months, have separately announced their campaigns.
In February, Randolph Bracy III announced his campaign for Senate District 15 in an Instagram video.
He held the Senate District 15 seat from 2016 to 2022 before leaving it for a congressional bid, but Rep. Maxwell Frost defeated him in the 2022 Democratic primary. Last August, Bracy lost a Senate District 15 primary race to Thompson, who garnered more than 60% of the vote.
Bracy’s sister is state House Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-District 40, who announced her campaign launch in March. Earlier this month, she announced her resignation from her seat, effective Sept. 1, so she can run for Senate District 15.
Qualifying dates for the Senate District 15 special election are from April 21 through April 23. The primary will take place June 24, and the special election is set for Sept. 2.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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