Florida consumer confidence has fallen for six straight months, and the sustained slide is squeezing household budgets along St. Johns County's CR 210 corridor.

The University of Florida's consumer sentiment index dropped 1.9 points to 67.4 in August, according to UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research. The reading marks the sixth consecutive monthly decline and sits 11.7 points below the February reading of 79.1.

All five components of the index fell in August, the second straight month of across-the-board declines. Floridians' willingness to buy major household items such as furniture, appliances and refrigerators has dropped 9.1 points since February.

Hector H. Sandoval, director of the Economic Analysis Program at UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said the breadth of the decline stands out. He said "consumers are becoming more budget-conscious and cautious about discretionary purchases."

The pullback matters locally.

St. Johns County remains the most expensive housing market in Northeast Florida, with a median single-family home price of $580,000 in May, according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. Homes sat on the market a median of 34 days, and active inventory stood at 1,856 homes, a 3.2-month supply.

Mortgage rates are adding pressure. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate stood at 6.66% as of late August, near the 2026 high of 6.69%, according to Freddie Mac data reported by the First Coast Observer.

In master-planned communities such as Nocatee, builders have responded with appliance packages and design incentives to close deals, the First Coast Observer reported. Rate buydowns, which temporarily subsidize a lower interest rate to reduce monthly payments, have also become common in competitive Northeast Florida markets.

Retail centers anchored by home-goods stores have grown alongside residential development on CR 210, according to First Coast Observer reporting. A prolonged stretch of budget caution could slow lease-up for new retail space and dampen sales-tax revenue for local governments.

Sandoval said UF expects consumer confidence to remain subdued until inflationary pressures ease more substantially. Borrowing costs could stay elevated or climb further if price pressures persist, because the Federal Reserve has signaled its readiness to act, according to the UF report.

Expectations for the national economy over the next 12 months have fallen nearly 17 points over the past six months, reaching their lowest level since November 2023. The one-year outlook dropped 3.1 points to 65.4 in August, the largest single-component decline.

UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research releases its consumer sentiment index monthly. The September reading will show whether the six-month slide continues or begins to level off.