Two key economic markers in Florida -- consumer confidence and a much-watched home price index -- showed a second consecutive month of improvement, offering further evidence the recession is easing, though a long recovery likely awaits.

The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index showed South Florida home prices posted their second, though modest, monthly gain of 1.3 percent in July, as strong sales and shrinking inventory helped to firm up prices. The index, however, was still down from a year ago, by 21 percent.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Belief that a national economic recovery is under way boosted Florida’s consumer confidence three points to 74 in September, according to a new University of Florida survey.

“I think Florida consumers are buying into the argument that the worst of the recession is over and we have avoided a complete meltdown,” said Chris McCarty, survey director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “Once again they have surprised us with a higher than expected index.”

FORT LAUDERDALE — Cruise up coastal highway A1A. Take in the sea breeze, the sand and surf shimmering in the sun, the palm trees swaying beside luxury high-rise hotels, shops and cafes. The idyllic image helps explain why millions have come to Florida to play, and millions have come back to stay.

Lillian Vickers doesn’t have to think very long about why she left Florida.

“Three hurricanes in 15 months. It got to be too much,” said Vickers, who relocated to Dothan from Okeechobee, Fla., in October 2006.

How she and her husband — and the family dog — came here, of all places, had to do with proximity. Vickers has family in Tallahassee and a niece in Enterprise, and because her husband is retired military, they liked being close to Fort Rucker.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's strategy for reviving the economy now turns largely on restoring public confidence, a psychological lift that would prompt consumers to shop, bankers to lend and investors to buy.

The president is racing from coast to coast to try to buck up consumers while the government pumps money into the economy, a theme sure to emerge at his nationally televised news conference set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The message appears to be getting through to Floridians.

The Florida Price Level Index (FPLI), established by the Legislature as the basis for the District Cost Differential (DCD) in the Florida Education Finance Program, is used to represent the costs of hiring equally qualified personnel across school districts.

A University of Florida economist said the reason many Americans are financially strapped is simple: Prices are rising and wages are not.

David Denslow, who works for UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said that overall, the retail price index has increased in the past five years about 2 percent to 2.5 percent. This index indicates what people pay for food, housing, medical care and other goods and services.

He said that during the 1990s, prices rose about the same, but pay was keeping up. These days, it's a different story.

This report presents and discusses the 2005 editions of the Florida County Retail Price Index (FCRPI) and the Florida County Wage Index (FCWI), produced by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida.

The recent rise and subsequent decline of housing prices, both in Florida and across the nation, have led to speculation about the nature of house prices in general. This paper explores recent trends in house prices, especially in Florida.

Local governments in Florida are concerned that the same soaring house prices that have boosted their revenue base have also increased the wages they have to pay to attract a qualified work force, especially relative to similar local governments in many other states where the housing boom has been less remarkable. The doubling of Florida house prices over the past six years that increased local property tax revenue raises concerns that a shortage of affordable housing will undermine their efforts to recruit and retain employees.