Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee and Florida gubernatorial candidate, said Sunday that he’s entering rehab for alcohol abuse. The announcement comes after Gillum was found in a Miami hotel room with two other men and what police called “suspected crystal meth.”
“This has been a wake-up call for me,” said Gillum, who denies that he was using drugs. “Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse.”
According to a police, Gillum was found in a room at the Mondrian hotel with two other men, one of whom was being treated by paramedics for an apparent overdose when police arrived. Police found Gillum vomiting in the restroom, the report says. The Democrat was unable to communicate “due to his inebriated state.”
Despite finding three clear baggies of what they believed to be crystal meth, police did not make any arrests. “We responded as a medical call,” Miami Beach Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez told the Miami Herald. “Though there were narcotics in plain view, no one was in physical possession of those narcotics.”
After the incident Friday, Gillum put out a statement apologizing and asking for privacy.
“I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends. While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines,” he said. “I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.”
Gillum has worked as a CNN commentator and led Forward Florida Action, an organization working to register voters, since he came within 34,000 votes of becoming the state’s governor in 2018. Late last year, he was mentioned as a potential running mate for Elizabeth Warren. In addition to entering rehab, Gillum said he will pull back from “public-facing roles for the foreseeable future.”
