New details emerge about men found in Miami hotel room with Andrew Gillum as former Florida gubernatorial candidate checks into rehab

After narrowly losing to Republican Ron DeSantis in Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race, former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum became a national star in the Democratic Party as well as a pundit on CNN. But the last week has been rough for the 40-year-old Gillum, who announced that he was entering rehab after being found in a Miami hotel room with a man who was hospitalized over a suspected drug overdose — and new details continue to emerge about that incident.

In an official statement, Gillum explained, “After conversation with my family and deep reflection, I have made the decision to seek help, guidance and enter a rehabilitation facility at this time. This has been a wake-up call for me. Since my race for governor ended, I fell into a depression that has led to alcohol abuse. I witnessed my father suffer from alcoholism, and I know the damaging effects it can have when untreated. I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles. I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more complete person.”

The men in the hotel room in Miami’s South Beach area, according to Andrea Torres of Miami’s Channel 10, were Aldo Mejias (a 56-year-old unlicensed physician living near Coral Gables, Florida) and 30-year-old Travis Dyson — who allegedly rented the room on Thursday, March 12 and has described himself as a registered nurse on social media. Mejias told police that when he arrived in the room around 11 p.m., Dyson and Gillum were both in a state of intoxication and were vomiting— and when Dyson collapsed, Mejias called 911.

According to Miami police, Dyson was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center — where he regained consciousness and was in stable condition. Miami police also said that they found some baggies containing crystal meth in the hotel room; Gillum, however, has admitted that he was drunk but stresses that he has never used crystal meth.

“While I had too much to drink,” Gillum stated, “I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement. I will spend the next few weeks with my family and appreciate privacy during this time.”

In 2018, Florida’s gubernatorial race showed how much of a swing state it is. While DeSantis, now Florida’s governor, ran as a far-right supporter of President Donald Trump, Gillum ran a decidedly liberal/progressive campaign and just barely lost. The election was so close that a recount was mandatory under Florida law, and the recount, according to USA Today, showed 4,075,445 votes for DeSantis and 4,041,762 votes for Gillum — a difference of 33,683 votes.