Economic data shows improvement

Sometimes it's hard to tell how the economy is doing when you're bogged down in the trenches of your business.

So you might be interested to know that every indicator tracked by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers shows notable improvement so far this year in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.

Among the highlights of the April report:

•Unemployment rates have fallen by about two percentage points in most areas;
•Regional taxable sales rose 8% in January compared with January 2011;
•February tourist-tax collections rose substantially. In Lee County, for example, collections rose 16% in February compared with February 2011.
•Home prices are rising again. The median existing-home price in March in Charlotte County rose 32%, in Collier County it jumped 30% and in Lee County it rose 29% compared with March 2011.

To be sure, the region has a ways to go before a full recovery. But it's headed in the right direction.