A former Democratic rising star who once came within striking distance of becoming governor of a major red state is facing another serious legal setback just weeks after an arrest placed him back in the headlines.
The latest development reportedly unfolded after he failed to comply with a court-ordered requirement, leading authorities to administer a test that produced a result that could further complicate his legal situation.
Advertisement
Former Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum is reportedly back in jail after testing positive for methamphetamine while participating in a court-ordered drug testing program in Alabama.
The development comes approximately one month after Gillum was arrested in July on charges related to possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney John Oxford told TMZ that Gillum had been participating in Alabama’s random “color code” drug testing program as part of his case.
Advertisement
Under the program, defendants are assigned a color and required to call a hotline each day to determine whether they have been selected for testing.
“Andrew is taking part in random drug testing known as ‘color code drug testing,’” Oxford told TMZ.
Advertisement
“Basically, we’re told Andrew is assigned a color by the court, and he’s supposed to call a hotline every day,” the outlet reported.
“If he calls the hotline and his color is read out, he has to report that day for a drug test,” the report continued.
According to Oxford, Gillum failed to appear for a required drug test after his assigned color was called.
Gillum subsequently appeared in court Thursday, where authorities administered a drug test because of the missed screening, according to the prosecutor.
Oxford said that test came back positive for methamphetamine, resulting in Gillum being ordered back into custody.
🚨 JUST IN: Florida Democrat 2018 governor candidate Andrew Gillum is IN JAIL after testing positive for METH — TMZ
Holy crap, do you know how close FL was to dodging this bullet? 0.40 POINTS! 🤯
Thankfully Florida is a BEACON for America after Ron DeSantis defeated him! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/wLZl3bjpi1
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 8, 2026
The latest development adds another chapter to a series of personal and legal controversies that have followed Gillum since his narrow defeat in Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial election.
Gillum, who previously served as mayor of Tallahassee, lost that race to Republican Ron DeSantis by fewer than 34,000 votes out of more than eight million cast.
Gillum also attracted national attention following a March 2020 incident at a Miami Beach hotel where police responded to a possible drug overdose involving another man.
Advertisement
According to the police report from that incident, officers arrived at the hotel room and found Gillum with two other men while first responders were treating one of them for a suspected overdose.
Police said Gillum was “unable to communicate with officers due to his inebriated state.”
The report stated that another man told investigators he had entered the room and “discovered [the overdose victim] and Andrew Gillum inside the room under the influence of an unknown substance.”
Gillum was also found vomiting in the bathroom, according to the police report.
Advertisement
“Inside of the hotel room, officers observed in plain sight three small clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth on both the bed and floor,” authorities stated at the time.
Gillum was not arrested as a result of the 2020 hotel incident and subsequently announced that he would enter a rehabilitation facility.
He later discussed his struggles publicly, saying he had experienced depression and alcohol abuse following his gubernatorial defeat.
Gillum also came out as bisexual later in 2020 while addressing the intense public attention surrounding the Miami Beach incident.
Advertisement
The former mayor has faced other legal scrutiny over the years, including a federal corruption prosecution that resulted in his acquittal on one charge and a mistrial on the remaining counts in 2023, after which federal prosecutors declined to retry him.
His newest legal problems began with the July arrest in Alabama involving alleged drug possession and paraphernalia offenses, which led to the court-supervised testing program, Breitbart News reported.
The positive test reported by TMZ represents an alleged violation of the conditions imposed while that case proceeds and does not constitute a conviction on the underlying drug charges.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
