Paycheck Protection Program loan keeps Seminole Boosters, Inc. staffed during pandemic
Curt Weiler
Tallahassee Democrat
One Florida State-affiliated organization has benefited from the Paycheck Protection Program.
A database released by the United States Small Business Administration includes Seminole Boosters, Inc., on its list of 82,708 small businesses or non-profit organizations that have received a million dollars or more in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program.
The program was enacted this spring during the coronavirus pandemic to allow these businesses and organizations to continue paying their employees.
According to the database listing, Seminole Boosters was approved for a loan between $1 million to $2 million on April 14 in order to continue to support 54 jobs during the pandemic.
Andy Miller, President and CEO of Seminole Boosters, confirmed to the Democrat that the organization received $1,017,455 through the Payroll Protection Program, but later returned $130,430 after a further review of the terms of the loan.
The $887,725 that was retained, according to Miller, was used to keep the organization fully staffed during a time of uncertainty with regard to how business would be operated.
"The loan allowed us to remain fully staffed through June 30 and in the best position to continue to raise funds to support our commitments to the athletic department including student-athlete scholarships," Miller told the Democrat.
"The mission of Seminole Boosters is to support the success of our 500 FSU student-athletes, and I am grateful for this program that helped us during this challenging time."
Seminole Boosters, listed as a non-profit organization, became a part of the Florida State University Athletics Association in 2019 after spending the entirety of its prior existence as a separate entity.
The approved application allowed the organization to continue paying its staff during a very uncertain offseason. Doubts still remain about the likelihood of the 2020 football season starting on time in two months.
The pandemic canceled the annual Seminole Booster Spring Tour, which would have featured new football coach Mike Norvell. Norvell was scheduled to travel across the state to talk to groups of FSU fans about the state of the team and the upcoming season.
The pandemic also took away the organization's ability to hold the face-to-face conversations that lead to many of the donations that fund the Seminoles.
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In spite of these lost opportunities, the Paycheck Protection Program, one of the largest economic stimulus packages ever created by the United States Government, allowed Seminole Boosters and 56 other Tallahassee businesses that received one million dollars or more to retain their employees.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration website, all PPP loans will be forgiven so long as the employee retention criteria is met and the funds are used properly for eligible expenses.
As of last week, a Seminole Boosters representative told the Democrat that no decision had been reached about the possibility of fans being in the stands for FSU football games in 2020.
But amidst a time of such chaos, the PPP loan has brought Seminole Boosters some necessary stability.
Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.
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