Andrew Gillum, Tallahassee's telegenic former mayor and the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, was involved in a meth overdose incident early Friday morning in a Miami Beach hotel room.

The incident was an embarrassing and devastating blow to Gillum, a long-serving former city commissioner and mayor who caught fire as a statewide candidate two years ago and still harbored ambitions of becoming governor or holding other high office.

Officers were called to a West Avenue hotel around 1 a.m. and found Gillum with two other men, identified as Travis Dyson and Aldo Mejias, according to a Miami Beach Police Department report.

Paramedics were treating Dyson at the time for a possible overdose. Gillum was too inebriated to speak with officers, though he was later reported in stable condition with normal vital signs.

Police found plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth on the bed and floor of the hotel room, the report says. But Gillum, in a prepared statement issued shortly after news broke, denied using the drug and offered an apology.

"I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends,” Gillum said. “While I had too much to drink, 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.”

Gillum went on to thank “the incredible Miami Beach EMS team for their efforts” and indicated he would keep a low profile for the time being.

“I will spend the next few weeks with my family,” he said in the statement, “and appreciate privacy during this time."

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Experts said the scandal could put an end to his political career, let alone gigs as a talking head on cable TV.

"It creates a huge uphill battle in any future contest he wants to enter," said Susan MacManus, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida.

Mejias told officers that he gave his credit card information to Dyson to rent a hotel for the night and arrived around 11 p.m. When he got there, he found both Gillum and Dyson intoxicated.

“Mr. Mejias arrived at the hotel ... where he discovered Travis Dyson and Andrew Gillum inside the room under the influence of an unknown substance,” the police report says.

Dyson opened the hotel door for Mejias and then collapsed near the bed, he told officers. He saw Gillum in the bathroom vomiting. After Dyson started having trouble breathing, Mejias tried to rouse him, performed chest compressions and called police and Fire Rescue.

Officers tried to speak with Gillum but were unsuccessful, the report says.

“Mr. Gillum was unable to communicate with officers due to his inebriated state,” the report says.

But when Fire Rescue workers went back to the hotel to check on Gillum later, he appeared fine.

“Fire Rescue stated that he was in stable condition and his vitals were normal,” the report says. “Mr. Gillum left the hotel room and returned to his residence without incident.”

First responders found suspected drugs inside the hotel room.

“Officers observed in plain sight three small clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth on both the bed and floor,” the report says.

Ernesto Rodriguez, a spokesman for Miami Beach PD, provided a copy of the report to the Tallahassee Democrat. No arrests were made.

“At this time the incident is not being investigated as a criminal matter,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez did not respond to an email asking why no charges would be filed given the discovery of suspected narcotics. The police report said three small baggies with suspected drugs were impounded and slated for destruction.

Gillum did not answer a phone call. Some of his top advisers and spokespeople did not respond to texts or phone calls as the news broke.

Married with three children, Gillum, 40, has maintained a high profile since his bitter loss two years ago to now GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. After capturing the national spotlight during the campaign, he launched an ambitious effort to register voters ahead of this year’s election.

He has since become a frequent face on CNN, appearing as a panelist during recent Democratic primary coverage. Last month, he made another appearance on the HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Last year, his name surfaced as a possible running mate for Sen Elizabeth Warren, then a top contender for the Democratic nomination for president. In 2016, his name surfaced as a possible vice presidential pick for Hillary Clinton, who deployed him on the ground in key states.

Gillum, however, is no stranger to scandal — he's been linked to FBI investigations and other controversies going back several years.

His gubernatorial campaign began to falter late in the campaign after revelations surfaced about his out-of-town trips with lobbyists and undercover FBI agents in 2016.

The trips and related FBI developments were chronicled in the pages of the Tallahassee Democrat. Gillum said on the campaign trail that he had learned from his missteps and vowed he would not repeat them.

“I think what’s the most shocking to his supporters and others is that he would put himself in such a situation after the trouble he had when he was running in 2018,” MacManus said. “The greatest thing was … he didn’t learn a lesson about hanging around with the wrong people.”

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Complaints over the trips to New York City, where he saw "Hamilton" with undercover agents, and Costa Rica prompted complaints to the Florida Commission on Ethics. Last year, he was fined $5,000 in connection with the complaints for accepting a gift over $100 from a lobbyist.

Also last year, federal subpoenas dropped involving his run for governor and a public relations firm owned by one of his oldest and closest advisers.

The incident in Miami Beach was first reported on Twitter by Candace Owens, a conservative commentator, author and political activist. It happened at the Mondrian South Beach, a 20-story contemporary high-rise with waterfront views of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Dyson was taken to a hospital, where he was conscious and in stable condition, according to the report. He did not return a phone call from the Democrat. A recording on Mejias' phone said he was not accepting calls.

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Gillum and the FBI investigation:

Trips, tickets and fundraisers

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

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