Consumer spending revs up

An important gauge of an area's economic health is the amount of total taxable sales its businesses generate.

Data from the state confirms anecdotal evidence of a busy spring season for taxable sales of all kinds. In April, the latest data available, annual-percentage gains in taxable sales were highest in the Winter Haven-Lakeland and Cape Coral-Fort Myers areas, with 8% and 7.2% respectively. Both areas exceeded the statewide 7% increase over that same period.

Auto sales were a big driver of taxable-sales growth in some areas. For example, auto sales jumped an annual 14.6% in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area in April. They also rose 13.4% in Punta Gorda and 12.7% in Cape Coral-Fort Myers.

Another strong category within taxable sales was consumer durables, which includes big-ticket items such as furniture and appliances. On an annual percentage-change basis, consumer durables in April were particularly strong in Naples (18.1%) and Sarasota-Bradenton (16.2%).