Margel Zukunft, 81 years old, pulled weeds from around a for-sale sign on a recent evening outside her three-bedroom home in the Sun City retirement community near Tampa.

Alone for the past decade, she longs to move to a condominium offering dinner companions and lawn care. But in this panic-stricken economy, Zukunft has no offers -- and shaky confidence in both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

''I can almost remember in 1929 when people went to the bank and took their money out, and I can't help but wonder if I should do that,'' she said. ``I wonder if either candidate is capable of getting this mess straightened out.''

Zukunft's anxiety about the economy is a strong current that runs through the disparate communities clustered along Interstate 4, the Central Florida highway considered a gateway to one-tenth of the electoral votes needed to win the White House.

Nearly one out of five of the state's unaffiliated voters live in this swath between Tampa and Daytona Beach, and an even higher percentage are considered ''persuadable'' Democrats and Republicans. No wonder the area is seeing a flurry of candidate visits, with Republican vice presidential contender Sarah Palin slated to campaign Monday in Clearwater and Fort Myers.

''Someone suggested to me that the whole thing could come down to a couple square blocks in downtown Tampa, and that's not out of the question,'' said Richard Scher, a University of Florida professor, who calculated that the 12 counties hugging I-4 host 38 percent of the state's independent voters.

The latest statewide polls tell a familiar story, with the Republican nominee dominating the northern part of the state and the Democrat carrying the more liberal southern end, leaving the state's heterogeneous midsection up for grabs.

''I-4 is a little bit of South Florida, a little bit of North Florida, a little bit of Yankee transplants, and a little bit of old South rednecks,'' said Mason-Dixon pollster Brad Coker. ``It may be the best microcosm of Florida.''

During three days of interviewing voters in 10 communities along I-4, The Miami Herald found rampant financial worries, widespread anger toward the current administration -- and a fair number of the fence-sitters that both campaigns seek.

From the neon-lit streets of Ybor City, to the campus of the University of Central Florida to the suburbs around Daytona Beach, many voters remained torn.

PARTY TIES WEAKER

Complicating their decisions, many central Florida residents don't feel the straight-ticket voting loyalties common in South Florida, where most Jewish and black voters are diehard Democrats and most Cuban Americans are staunch Republicans.

''I don't know how anyone can be 100 percent on either side, Democrat or Republican, and I seem to be one of those who is caught in the middle,'' said 56-year-old marketing director Celia Isla, barely audible over the din of an espresso machine steaming milk at the West Tampa Sandwich Shop. ``Even though McCain says he's a maverick, I don't see him changing the way things are. . . . With Obama, I'm a sucker for an energetic speaker, but I don't want to fall for smoke and mirrors.''

At another table: Michael Diaz, a 51-year-old carpenter who used to run a fishing-guide business but can no longer afford boat fuel.

''We have serious problems, and we need a serious person to take care of it,'' said Diaz, who favors the more experienced Republican senator. ``I'm looking for someone who is going to give us great leadership.''

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