Thompson wed Emerson R. Thompson, who went on to become the first Black chief judge of the Ninth Circuit Court. Prior to that they lived in Tallahassee where Thompson worked for the first Black member of the Florida House, State Rep. Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry. She later earned a master’s degree in communications from Florida State University. 

She taught for six years in the Orange County Public Schools and worked as an administrator at Valencia College for 24 years before running for the Florida Legislature. She served in the Florida House from 2006 to 2012 and then again from 2018 to 2022. She served in the Florida Senate in 2012 to 2016 before returning in 2022. Her district spanned Winter Garden, Ocoee, Pine Hills, Eatonville, Dr. Phillips and parts of Orlando. 

Thompson had been re-elected to the Senate in August after her one-time colleague former State Sen. Randolph Bracy III challenged her in what was an often ugly race for the seat in which each accused the other of not living in the district they wanted to represent. Thompson lived and voted in Ocoee where she helped her daughter with her twins. (Bracy announced plans to run for her seat the day after her death.) 

Thompson originated no-excuse mail voting, which now allows all Floridians to file mail-in ballots. She worked to get accurate African-American history and the Holocaust taught in schools. After the Stop WOKE Act passed, precluding the teaching of history that could make white students uncomfortable, she urged Black families to challenge the law on the basis that not seeing their representative history made them uncomfortable.  

She fought against the new standards for teaching African American history, which suggested enslavement had benefits for the enslaved and that Black residents in Ocoee and Rosewood bore some responsibility for the massacres that took the lives of residents and wiped out their communities. 

She worked to stymie the excesses of government power. In 2020, she challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pick for the Florida Supreme Court, Renatha Francis, saying that she wasn’t qualified because she hadn’t met the 10-year bar requirement. DeSantis was forced to choose another candidate and picked Jamie Grosshans. (DeSantis named Francis to the high court in 2022.)  

A large part of Thompson's legacy was her years-long mission to get a full exoneration for the Groveland Four — Charles Greenlee, Samuel Shepherd, Walter Irvin and Ernest Thomas — wrongly accused of raping a 17-year-old white girl in 1949. They were exonerated in 2021.  

Thompson was instrumental in getting the 2022 Tyre Sampson Safety Act passed, which improves the safety of amusement park rides. It’s named for the teen who died on a ride at ICON Park because he wasn’t properly buckled in. Thompson had also been working on legislation to prevent infant and toddler deaths in hot cars. 

Together with State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, Thompson worked on a sweeping voting access bill that would allow for same-day registration and voting, permanent mail-in ballot requests; a database for returning citizens to verify their voting eligibility and an end to the Office of Election Crimes and Security. 

In a Feb. 13 memorandum to all senators, Florida Senate President Ben Albritton said Thompson's passing was a “profound loss for the Senate.” He described Thompson as  “a force to be reckoned with” and said her “watchful eye, cheerful smile, and thoughtful, well-researched, and spirted (sic) debate will be greatly missed.”

Albritton said a memorial will be held during the legislative session.

Thompson’s friends and colleagues shared statements that expressed their grief but honored her legacy.  

Bracy Davis, who worked on many bills and laws with Thompson, said the loss was “deeply personal” because Thompson was “family.”

“She mentored me, believed in me and pushed me to be better,” the District 40 Democrat said in a prepared statement sent to VoxPopuli. “Together we passed meaningful legislation that made a real difference in the lives of our constituents. We held town hall meetings and community conversations, ensuring the people had a voice. We partnered on Juneteenth celebrations and Black Caucus events, honoring the resilience and contributions of our community. Every step of the way she was a partner — not just in the work, but in the vision of what our communities could become.” 

“Senator Geraldine Thompson was a force — a trailblazer, historian, fierce advocate, and devoted mother and grandmother who uplifted all Floridians,” Orlando Congressman Maxwell Frost posted on Facebook. “Her legacy of service and love for her community will be felt for generations. We lost a giant, but her work lives on in us all.” 

“I had the profound honor of working alongside Senator Thompson in the Florida Legislature. She was not just a colleague; she was a mentor and a friend. She taught me — and so many others — what it means to lead with courage, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to the people we serve,” Democratic State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, who represents Orlando, said in a statement. “As we mourn this immense loss, we must also honor her legacy by continuing her work. Senator Thompson believed in the power of people coming together to fight for justice, for truth, and for opportunity. That responsibility now falls to all of us.”

Republican State Rep. Doug Bankson (District 39), who represents Winter Garden, described Thompson on Facebook as a “passionate advocate for Central Florida with years of dedicated time to the community.”

State Rep. Leonard Spencer (District 45), who represents Windermere and the Walt Disney area, said on Facebook that Thompson “reminded us that the moral arc of the universe does indeed bend toward justice — but only when guided by hands like hers, steady and strong.”

State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, who represents the downtown Orlando area, called Thompson a civil rights legend and trailblazer who taught and endlessly inspired me during our 13 year friendship.”

State Rep. Johanna Lopez, who succeeded Thompson as chair of the Orange County Legislative Delegation, said on Facebook that Thompson’s “unwavering dedication to civil rights, education, and public service has left an indelible mark on Florida. Senator Thompson's legacy of advocacy and leadership will continue to inspire generations to come.”

‍

Michael Shen contributed reporting.