UF Report:  Florida Consumer Confidence Holds Steady

By News Service of Florida

The state's consumer confidence remains at a post-recession high for the third consecutive month, according to a University of Florida report. On a scale that ranges from two to 150, confidence among Floridians sits at 82, four points higher than in May, the last time the number changed, according to a release Tuesday from UF's Survey Research Center in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research. The numbers, however, don't reflect mass optimism in the Sunshine State. The overall index shows an increasing pessimism in households with incomes over $30,000 a year and also recorded a drop among respondents ages 50 to 65 who may be concerned about their personal finances at they look toward retirement, the UF report noted. "These results suggest the Florida economy is not growing rapidly," said Chris McCarty, director of the research center. "While it's good news that the index is not volatile, we would like it to be about 10 points higher given that the recession ended more than five years ago."