Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida in 2018, announced he would enter rehab after being named in a police report detailing an alleged overdose incident inside a Miami Beach hotel room where alleged bags of crystal meth were found inside.
In a statement Sunday evening, Gillum said, since his race for governor ended, he entered a depression that led to alcohol abuse.
"I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated," Gillum said. "…I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person."
The police report details an incident from early Friday morning inside a hotel located off West Avenue after police were called to respond to a cardiac arrest. Police said three men including Gillum were inside the hotel room at the time.
According to police, one of the men – identified as Aldo Mejias – called rescue crews after he arrived at the hotel and found both Gillum and Travis Dyson in an inebriated state. Mejias told officers he began performing first aid on Dyson after he collapsed and began throwing up on a bed while Gillum was throwing up inside a bathroom.
Rescue crews took Dyson to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, while Gillum was allowed to leave the room without being detained, the report said. The report did not list any arrests as being made.
At the time, Gillum said he was in town for a wedding celebration and admitted to having too much to drink.
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Gillum did not say he took the methamphetamines found at the scene in Sunday's statement.
"I now need to firmly focus on myself and my family. I will be stepping down from all public facing roles for the foreseeable future," Gillum said.
Gillum, who narrowly lost to current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2018 race that was recounted in Broward County among other locations, has spent time working as a political commentator and working on Democratic election efforts since the loss.
