After losing to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis by a narrow margin, Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum soon experienced a precipitous fall from grace.
A series of arrests, investigations, and embarrassing antics kept his name in the headlines, but not for the reasons the ambitious politician might’ve hoped.
And the latest chapter in that saga played out just a few days ago, according to The Hill:
Officers from the Daphne Police Department in Alabama arrested Gillum on July 2 at 10:44 p.m. CDT, according to booking records from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.
ADVERTISEMENTGillum, 46, was booked and released from jail on July 3. He was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, use or possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, according to the records.
The former mayor of Tallahassee, Fla., lost the 2018 gubernatorial race to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the general election by fewer than 34,000 votes — the slimmest margin in a Florida governor’s race since 1916.
In March 2020, police in Miami Beach, Fla., said they found Gillum, alongside a male escort, “inebriated” after he used methamphetamine at a South Beach hotel. He has been married to his wife, Rashada Jai Howard, since 2009.
News of the latest arrest sparked some social media discussion:
no male prostitutes this time?
— 🦍 (@c8v3lg) July 7, 2026
The Florida Capitol was so close to being turned into a bath house after the 2018 election
— Walton (@waltonite0) July 7, 2026
This degenerate came within a percentage point of beating @RonDeSantis (the best governor in Florida history). This is the best example of ELECTIONS MATTER!! Our state and indeed the entire country would be different had this drug addict won!
— ColdObjectivity (@ColdObjectivity) July 7, 2026
TMZ added these details:
You may recall … in 2020, Gillum and another man were found dazed and confused inside a room by paramedics at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach, Florida. Another man discovered the two and called 911, worried that the person with Gillum had possibly overdosed.
Police body cam footage was later released, showing several prescription pill bottles inside the room. Cops also removed three small bags of methamphetamine.
However, prosecutors never formally charged Gillum or the other man in the room because there was insufficient evidence to link them directly to the drugs, which were not found on their persons.
Here’s more context on the latest incident:
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