Ex-Fla. Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum Jailed Again After Allegedly Failing Drug Test, Testing Positive for Meth

Bailey RichardsSat, August 8, 2026 at 8:37 PM UTC

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Andrew Gillum’s mug shotCredit: Baldwin Co Sheriffs Office -

Andrew Gillum was jailed again on Aug. 6 after allegedly missing a drug test and then later testing positive for meth

The former Tallahassee mayor was previously arrested on drug charges on July 2 and released on July 3

Gillum narrowly lost the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race to Ron DeSantis

A month after he was arrested on drug charges in Alabama, Florida politician Andrew Gillum is behind bars again.

The former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 Florida gubernatorial nominee was arrested in July on possession of methamphetamine and other drug charges. Gillum was released the day after his arrest, but he has now been jailed again after allegedly missing a drug screen and then later testing positive for meth, per TMZ and the Tallahassee Democrat.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, the 47-year-old Democrat — who narrowly lost Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race to now-Gov. Ron DeSantis— was booked into the Baldwin County jail, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE.

Gillum’s reason for commitment is listed on a court order of commitment signed by Baldwin County District Judge Scott Taylor as a “missed CC drug test and pos in court for meth did admit,” per the Tallahassee Democrat.

According to the outlet, the court order also made multiple references to drug court, an alternative program for first-time drug-related offenders that is rehabilitation-focused, and can include charge dismissal upon completion.

Andrew Gillum’s mug shotCredit: Baldwin Co Sheriffs Office

Gillum failed to report for a drug test on a day he was scheduled to appear, and he was subsequently tested during a court appearance on Thursday, TMZ reported, citing Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney John Oxford.

The former mayor’s test came back positive for meth, and he was then taken back into custody, per the outlet.

A spokesperson for Gillum could not be reached. Christ Nicholas Coumanis, a lawyer for Gillum, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Gillum’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 13.

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The former gubernatorial candidate’s latest arrest comes over a month after he was arrested elsewhere in Alabama on drug charges.

Gillum was arrested in Daphne, Ala., on July 2; he was allegedly found to be in possession of 3 grams of meth, eight “pre-rolled marijuana joints,” a bong, three pipes and other drug paraphernalia. He was booked on multiple felony drug charges at the Baldwin County jail before being released on July 3.

Andrew Gillum in 2018Credit: Steve Cannon/AP/Shutterstock

Following Gillum’s release on July 4, he was in New Orleans for a panel discussion on the 2026 midterms at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. He did not mention his arrest at the event.

After narrowly losing to DeSantis in 2018, Gillum’s political career was derailed in 2020 when he was found inebriated in a Miami-area hotel room with a male sex worker who had overdosed. Bags of what police suspected to contain crystal meth were found in the hotel room, per a police report obtained by The Miami New Times.

He later denied using meth and admitted himself to rehab for alcoholism. No charges against Gillum were filed in the 2020 incident.

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Gillum faced legal trouble in 2022; however, when he was indicted by federal prosecutors on 21 criminal counts in Florida related to allegations he and a colleague fraudulently solicited political donations and rerouted them to Gillum’s personal accounts. He denied the allegations at the time, and a jury found him not guilty on one charge, while remaining deadlocked on the remaining charges in May 2023.

Gillum is married with three kids to his wife, R. Jai Gillum. In September 2020, the couple appeared together on The Tamron Hall Show and Gillum came out as bisexual, and he claimed the man found in the hotel room with him in 2020 was just a friend.

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