Our Team
LaVon Bracy Davis Esq.
LaVon Bracy Davis is an attorney, arts advocate, and public servant currently serving as the State Representative for Florida's House District 40. She was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in November 2022 and has been a vocal advocate for education, economic opportunity, juvenile justice reform, and civil rights.
She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from Florida A&M University College of Law.
Before her legislative career, Bracy Davis served as a senior attorney with the Florida Department of Children and Families, focusing on protecting vulnerable children and families. She also held the position of senior director of community programming at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where she led efforts to diversify community engagement in the arts.
One of her greatest accomplishments is serving as Chair of the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, where she played a pivotal role in selecting the sculptor who created the statue of Mary McLeod Bethune. This historic statue now proudly stands in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., representing Florida and honoring Bethune's legacy as an educator, civil rights leader, and trailblazer.
In the Florida House, she has served on several committees, including the Judiciary Committee and the Education Administration Subcommittee. She has been instrumental in passing legislation to invest in public schools, create economic opportunities, and protect reproductive and voting rights.
Bracy Davis comes from a family deeply rooted in civil rights activism. Her mother, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, was the first Black student to integrate her high school in Gainesville, Florida, and her father, the late Rev. Dr. Randolph Bracy, Jr., was a pastor and NAACP branch president.
In April 2025, Bracy Davis announced her candidacy for Florida Senate District 15, following the passing of Senator Geraldine Thompson.
Bracy Davis resides in Ocoee, Florida, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Adrian R. Davis. She is affiliated with several organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Orange County Branch of the NAACP, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the Bethel Church of Mount Dora, Florida.
Ashley V. Gantt Esq.
Ashley Viola Gantt, Esq. is a Miami‐based attorney, educator-turned-lawyer, and state legislator whose career is rooted in amplifying the voices of under-served communities.
A first-generation college graduate, Gantt earned her B.A. in English from the University of Florida in 2007, then joined Teach For America’s Mississippi Delta Corps. After two years of national service she returned home to teach middle- and high-school English in Miami-Dade County, spending six years in the classroom before pursuing law full-time. She completed her J.D. at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law in 2016, where she led the Black Law Students Association and competed in national trial competitions.
Gantt began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Broward County, earning back-to-back “Hat Trick” Awards from the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys for securing three consecutive trial acquittals in two separate years. In 2021 she founded Gantt Legacy Law, P.A., a Black- and woman-owned firm focusing on criminal defense, estate planning, probate litigation, and personal-injury matters—guided by her mantra, “Your Voice. Your Legacy.”
In August 2022 Gantt was elected to the Florida House of Representatives to serve District 109 in Miami-Dade County and has since been re-elected. She is the Democratic Ranking Member on the PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee and also sits on the State Affairs, Government Operations, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Careers & Workforce Subcommittees, giving her a pivotal role in shaping education funding, state operations, and workforce policy.
During the 2025 session she filed and co-sponsored legislation ranging from expanding mental-health services for first responders and creating a Florida Museum of Black History to ensuring paid leave for veterans’ families and protecting marriage equality—continuing her focus on equity, education, and criminal-justice reform.
Gantt remains deeply engaged in professional and civic leadership. She has served as president of the T.J. Reddick Bar Association, sits on the board of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, and was a Fellow of the Florida Bar’s Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Leadership Academy. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Inc., she balances public service with personal passions for dance, film, and wine tasting.
From the classroom to the courtroom to the Capitol, Ashley Gantt’s trajectory reflects an unwavering commitment to justice, education, and empowering Floridians to leave legacies they can be proud of.
Michele K. Rayner Esq.
Civil rights and social justice attorney Michele Rayner made history in 2020 when she was elected as the first openly queer Black member of the Florida legislature and immediately established herself as one of the strongest advocates for underserved communities.
Michele was raised by a family of changemakers in Pinellas County. Her parents both integrated the University of South Florida in the early 1960s, with her mother going on to become one of the first Black social workers in St. Petersburg and her father successfully putting himself through engineering school while working in a warehouse. Her parents established themselves as community leaders and set an example for Michele with their dedication to service.
After law school, Michele joined the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s office, a position she was drawn to because she felt it was where she could do the best for the most vulnerable in her community. While serving as a public defender, she learned the importance of truly listening to and steadfastly advocating for clients who have limited agency.
Michele was called to ensure justice again when she became an attorney for Markeis McGlockton’s family, working alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Markeis was shot and killed in an altercation in a Clearwater parking lot, reigniting the debate over Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law 6 years after the death of Trayvon Martin. During the 2019 trial, the killer was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The experience made it clear to Michele that running for the legislature could help her do more to fight unjust laws like Stand Your Ground and prevent future tragedies from occurring.
Growing up, Michele’s father always told her: “Help others, do the right thing and most of all, always keep your head up high.” To this day, Michele keeps her head up and will continue to do so as a leader for her constituents, ensuring an equitable recovery from COVID, protecting voting rights, and demanding real justice for underserved communities.
Michele currently lives in St. Petersburg with her dog, Bella Alexis and cat, JP Keona.