Former Tallahassee mayor and Democratic nominee for Florida governor Andrew Gillum, who gave Ron DeSantis a tough run in 2018, was arrested in Alabama ahead of last week’s holiday weekend on drug-related charges.
The Hill and USA TODAY reported that Gillum was arrested by the Daphne Police Department on July 2 on charges of possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office records show.
He was booked into the local jail the night of July 2 in Daphne, Alabama. He was released from custody the following day, according to online records.
Where is Daphne, Alabama? How far away is it from Florida?
Daphne is located roughly 14 miles outside Mobile and is less than an hour away from Florida’s nearest city.
Who is Andrew Gillum?
Andrew Gillum, 46, is a native Floridian and former American politician who served as the 126th mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 through 2018. He also served as a city commissioner from 2003 through 2014.
He drew nationwide attention for challenging then-Rep. Ron DeSantis in the 2018 gubernatorial race but ultimately lost by a margin of 32,463 votes, or 0.4%.
Gillum has since co-hosted the podcast “Native Land Pod,” which won an NAACP Image Award in 2025.
He has been married to Rashada Jai Howard since 2009 and has three children. He also came out as bisexual in an interview with journalist Tamron Hall on her talk show.
Why was Andrew Gillum arrested in Alabama?
According to jail records, he was arrested on July 2 at 10:44 p.m. and charged with possession of dangerous drugs, use or possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
“One of the officers saw a glass pipe on the center console of the vehicle,” Daphne Police Department Chief Brian Gulsby said in a news release. “This led to a probable cause search of the vehicle. Several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine were recovered.”
Has Andrew Gillum publicly addressed his arrest?
Not as of July 7.
PEOPLE Magazine notes that Gillum still attended the “ESSENCE Festival of Culture” in New Orleans on July 4 for his panel on midterm elections. He did not address his arrest.
What legal trouble has Andrew Gillum gotten into before?
His arrest is the second time Gillum has been linked to meth.
Following his defeat in 2020, he was found by Miami Beach officers passed out in a hotel room alongside a male escort who was suffering from a suspected drug overdose. Small baggies of suspected crystal methamphetamine were found in the room, but Gillum denied using drugs.
No charges were filed, and Gillum publicly apologized, according to USA TODAY. He was also checked into rehab.
Two years later, he and a close adviser were arrested in a long-running FBI public corruption probe that led to earlier convictions against another former Tallahassee mayor, Scott Maddox, and two others.
The charges were dropped in 2023 after his trial at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee ended with an acquittal on one count and a hung jury on the others.
Contributing: Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Who is Andrew Gillum? Former Florida governor candidate faces drug charges
Reporting by Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
