Things are getting gloomier in the sunshine state. Consumer confidence in Florida has fallen to a near record low.

The University of Florida's monthly index hit that record low back in the fall of 1991 during a long recession.

April 2008 has proven nearly as bad, finishing just two points higher at 66. That's a sixteen-year low and a four-point fall-off from last month.

Real estate, gas prices and recession fears fuel the decline.

Chris McCarty, a U of F rearcher, says consumer confidence has dropped more than twenty-two (22) percent in the past year.

"The biggest declines this month were in perceptions of personal finances now and expected a year from now. That's fairly telling because I think those questions really get at financial capabilities and ability to buy."

Consumers will find some money in their mailboxes soon though, as the federal government starts sending out tax rebate checks this week. Researchers expect a little boost in consumer confidence from those checks, though few experts believe consumers will spend much of the money to help the economy.

"Between May and June we may see a little bit of a bump in consumer confidence because when somebody's asked 'are you better off?', they're going to say, yeah I have this $600 or $1200 check. Are they actually going to spend that? The best guess is a lot of people are going to pay down debt with it."