Andrew Gillum, the former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate who narrowly lost the state’s 2018 governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis, was arrested last week in Alabama on multiple drug-related charges, according to online police records.
Gillum was taken into custody Thursday night by officers with the Daphne Police Department in Daphne, Alabama. He was later booked into the Baldwin County Jail on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.
Authorities have not yet released additional information about the circumstances that led to Gillum’s arrest. As of now, the Daphne Police Department has not provided details regarding the investigation or the events that resulted in the charges.
The arrest marks another legal issue involving the former Tallahassee mayor, who previously made national headlines in 2020 after an incident at a Miami Beach hotel.
In that case, paramedics responded to a room at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach after another individual called 911 out of concern that a man with Gillum may have overdosed. When first responders arrived, they found Gillum and another man inside the hotel room appearing dazed and confused.
Police body camera footage released following the incident showed several prescription pill bottles inside the room. Officers also recovered three small bags containing methamphetamine from the hotel room during their investigation.
Despite the discovery of the drugs, prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges against Gillum or the other man present. Authorities determined there was insufficient evidence to directly connect either individual to the methamphetamine because it was not found on either person’s body.
The 2020 incident drew widespread attention but did not result in criminal charges.
Gillum rose to national prominence during Florida’s closely watched 2018 gubernatorial race. After securing the Democratic nomination, he faced Republican candidate Ron DeSantis in one of the most competitive statewide contests in the country.
The general election was decided by a narrow margin, with DeSantis defeating Gillum by roughly 30,000 votes. The close race helped cement DeSantis’ rise in national Republican politics while leaving Gillum just short of becoming Florida’s governor.
Before launching his gubernatorial campaign, Gillum served as mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 through 2018. His tenure as mayor helped elevate his profile within the Democratic Party and positioned him as the party’s nominee in the high-profile governor’s race.
Gillum’s latest arrest comes years after his unsuccessful bid for governor and follows the widely publicized 2020 hotel incident that sparked scrutiny but ended without criminal charges.
At this time, authorities in Alabama have not disclosed further information regarding the evidence behind the current charges or the circumstances surrounding Gillum’s arrest. Online jail records list the charges as possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana, while the Daphne Police Department has yet to release additional details about the case. The matter remains pending as law enforcement has not provided further public comment.
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