Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is back in an Alabama jail after prosecutors say he missed a required drug test and subsequently tested positive for methamphetamine.
Gillum, 46, was ordered back into custody after appearing in Baldwin County court Thursday, August 6, according to prosecutors. The development comes just weeks after the former mayor was arrested in Alabama on drug-related charges.
The latest incident marks another setback for a politician who once stood at the center of Tallahassee and Florida Democratic politics.
Gillum served on the Tallahassee City Commission beginning in 2003 and became mayor in 2014. He served as mayor until 2018, when he left City Hall to run for governor.
His 2018 gubernatorial campaign transformed Gillum into a national political figure. He won the Democratic nomination and came within roughly 34,000 votes of defeating Republican Ron DeSantis in the general election.
Gillum’s political career subsequently unraveled amid a series of personal and legal controversies.
In July, Gillum was arrested in Baldwin County, Alabama, after authorities said a traffic stop led to the discovery of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and substances that tested positive for methamphetamine. He was released from jail the following day.
The latest case stems from conditions imposed on Gillum following that arrest. Prosecutors say participants in a court-ordered drug-testing program are assigned a color and must call a hotline each day. When their color is announced, they are required to report for testing. Authorities said Gillum failed to appear when his color was called. He was later tested and prosecutors said the result was positive for methamphetamine. He was then taken into custody again.
The allegations are particularly notable because Gillum previously disclosed struggles with alcohol and depression following his 2018 gubernatorial defeat.
In March 2020, Gillum was found by Miami Beach police in a hotel room with another man who had apparently overdosed. Police also reported finding suspected methamphetamine in the room. Gillum was not arrested in that incident, but he subsequently announced that he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse and step away from public life.
Gillum’s fall from one of Tallahassee’s most prominent political figures has been dramatic.
He entered the Tallahassee City Commission as a young politician in 2003 and eventually became one of the most prominent progressive voices in Florida politics. His 2018 campaign attracted national attention and made him a potential rising star within the Democratic Party.
Instead, his political career was followed by personal struggles, criminal investigations and the latest drug-related allegations.
For Tallahassee, where Gillum spent more than a decade in elected office, the latest episode represents another chapter in the long-running story of a former mayor whose political career once appeared headed toward the governor’s mansion.
Gillum has not publicly commented on the latest allegations.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.