Former Democrat Star Arrested After Meth Test

Once-touted Democratic rising star Andrew Gillum is back in custody after allegedly missing a court-ordered drug test and testing positive for methamphetamine.

The former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 Florida gubernatorial nominee was taken into custody following a court appearance in Alabama. Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney John Oxford said Gillum had been participating in a “color code drug testing” program that requires defendants to call a hotline daily to learn whether they must report for testing.

Oxford stated that Gillum failed to appear on a day his assigned color was called. Authorities then tested him during a court appearance last Thursday, and the result allegedly came back positive for methamphetamine. He was subsequently returned to custody.

This marks the second time in less than six weeks that Gillum has faced legal trouble tied to alleged drug activity. Last month he was arrested during a traffic stop in Daphne, Alabama. Officers searched his vehicle and reported finding marijuana along with three packages of a substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine.

Gillum narrowly lost the 2018 Florida governor’s race to Republican Ron DeSantis after a campaign that drew heavy national Democratic support. His political prospects later collapsed amid a series of scandals.

In March 2020, police and paramedics responded to a room at the Mondrian South Beach hotel in Miami Beach after reports of a possible overdose. Gillum and another man were found inside. Body-camera footage later showed prescription pill bottles and small bags containing suspected methamphetamine. Prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence to connect either man directly to the drugs.

The latest case differs because it involves a supervised court testing program and an alleged positive result while under that system. For a politician once viewed as a Democratic “golden boy,” the repeated legal entanglements have made any political comeback appear increasingly remote.

Gillum’s trajectory from near-miss gubernatorial candidate to repeated arrests has become a cautionary tale about the personal and political costs of alleged substance issues.