Exhibit 99.4

[PORTER, LEVAY & ROSE, INC. LOGO]

SEVEN PENN PLAZA NEW YORK, NY 10001 (212) 564-4700 FAX (212) 244-3075
1200 NORTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 200, BOCA RATON, FL 33432 (407) 361-0984 FAX (407) 391-6150
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FOR: FLORAFAX INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FROM: DEBRA POTTER, SR. EDITOR
MELISSA L. GREENBERG, MEDIA ASSOCIATE
(212) 564-4700

GARY WEITMAN
LARRY LANSEN
HILL & KNOWLTON
(312) 255-3094

COMPANY ANDREW W. WILLIAMS, ADAM PHILLIPS,
CONTACTS: FLORAFAX INTERNATIONAL GERALD STEVENS, INC.
CHAIRMAN AND CEO SR. VP--BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
(561) 234-4144 (954) 713-1188

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FLORAFAX INTERNATIONAL TO MERGE WITH GERALD STEVENS, INC.,
CREATING A $350 MILLION FLORAL COMPANY

VERO BEACH, FL, DEC. 10 - Florafax International, Inc., (NASDAQ:FIIF),
a leading marketer of floral products, announced today that it will merge with
Gerald Stevens, Inc., a leading, privately-held retailer of flowers,
floral-related merchandise and gifts, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Upon
completion of the merger, the name Florafax International will be changed to
Gerald Stevens, Inc., and the common stock will be listed on the NASDAQ National
Market System. The parties expect the transaction to be treated as a
pooling-of-interests for accounting purposes.

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Under terms of the agreement, Gerald Stevens' shareholders will
receive 1.25 to 1.35 shares of Florafax common stock for each share of Gerald
Stevens common stock. The conversion ratio will be based on the average closing
price of Florafax common stock during the 45 trading days immediately preceding
the merger. Depending on the conversion ratio, Gerald Stevens' shareholders
will own approximately 75 percent of Florafax common stock after the merger.
Based on the closing price of Florafax common stock on December 9, 1998, the
combined company would have a market capitalization of approximately $350
million. The companies expect to complete the merger by the end of March 1999.

Gerald Stevens, Inc. was formed in January 1998 to create a branded
specialty retailer in the floral and gift industry with a national, same-day
distribution infrastructure. The company currently has acquired 72 stores in 10
U.S. markets. It has also entered into agreements to acquire an additional 41
floral shops in its existing markets plus five new markets. Through its Royer's
Flowers subsidiary, Gerald Stevens operates FlowerLink (www.flowerlink.com), an
internet business that designs and maintains web sites for nearly 1,000
florists across the country. FlowerLink is currently processing approximately
$2.4 million of orders annually from customers of its member florists. In
addition to FlowerLink, 10 of the Gerald Stevens florists conduct electronic
commerce through Web sites under their own brands.

For the 1998 calendar year, Gerald Stevens' expects to generate pro
forma revenue in excess of $100 million. The company plans to operate more than
1,000 stores within the next five years, with a focus on the 50 largest markets
in the United States. These stores will consist of stand-alone floral shops and
"store-in-store" locations in supermarkets and other mass merchandising
operations.

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The merger agreement provides that upon completion of the transaction,
each of the Gerald Stevens directors will become directors of Florafax and that
each of Florafax directors, with the exception of Andrew W. Williams, will
resign from the board. The Gerald Stevens directors are Gerald R. Geddis,
Steven R. Berrard, Thomas C. Byrne and Kenneth Royer. Mr. Geddis, a 25-year
veteran of the retail industry, is the president and CEO of Gerald Stevens. He
is the former president and COO of Blockbuster Entertainment Group, where he
was responsible for more than 5,000 stores in 27 countries. Mr. Berrard is the
co-CEO of Republic Industries, Inc., and the former chairman and CEO of
Blockbusters. Mr. Byrne is the managing partner of New River Capital Partners,
a venture capital fund formed by Messrs. Berrard and Byrne to invest in
consumer growth companies, and is the former vice chairman of Blockbuster. New
River Capital Partners owns approximately 35 percent of Gerald Stevens common
stock and will become the largest shareholder of FLORAFAX. Mr. Royer is one of
the most highly regarded floral experts in the country, with more than 50 years
of experience. As chairman of Royer's Flowers, acquired by Gerald Stevens on
October 1, 1998, he built the third largest retail floral chain in the U.S.
James West, the current president and CFO of Florafax, will retain those
positions and will also serve as the head of the combined company's national
sales and marketing operations.

Andrew W. Williams, Florafax International's chairman and CEO,
commented, "I believe this combination will provide the shareholders of both
companies a rare opportunity for growth on a greater scale than either of us
could achieve independently. This merger will create a fully integrated floral
retailer backed by Florafax's proven sales and marketing skills and Gerald
Stevens' management expertise and ability to create a national brand as widely
known and respected as Blockbuster. I believe this merger will propel both
companies forward, enabling them, as one entity, to achieve greater success,
reach larger and more meaningful goals and increase shareholder value."

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Gerald R. Geddis, president and CEO of Gerald Stevens, said, "Our
original mission was to create the premiere floral and gift retailer and
marketer in the world. Since our formation, we have build a strong foundation
of retail stores and added some of the best florists in the country to our
management team. With Florafax, we add a dynamic sales and marketing
organization to our retail operations, we acquire national order fulfillment
technology and we greatly expand our call center capacity. The expertise of
the Florafax team in creating exciting and innovative national marketing
programs and developing first class marketing partnerships, substantially
improves our ability to reach floral customers outside of our stores."

Florafax International, Inc., is principally engaged in the business
of generating floral orders from consumers and providing floral placement
services to retail florists. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, The Flower
Club, forms mutually-beneficial corporate partnerships with nationally
recognized companies to market flowers and gifts directly to customers. The
company expects The Flower Club to generate in excess of 425,000 orders in
1998. FLORAFAX is the fourth largest flower-by-wire provider in the U.S.,
serving more than 5,300 member florists in all 50 states, the Bahamas, Bermuda,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is also a third party processor of
credit cards.

When used in this report, the words "plan(s)," "intend(s)," "expect(s),"
"feel(s)," "will," "may," "believe(s)," "anticipate(s)" and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The events described in
such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which
speak only as of the date hereof. The company undertakes no obligation to
republish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances
after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures
made by the company which attempt to advise interested parties of the factors
which affect the company's business, including the disclosures made under the
caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation" in the
annual report, as well as the company's periodic reports of Form 10-KSB, 10-QSB
and 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The events described
in such statements, and the success of the management strategies described by
those statements, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual results to differ from those discussed. Among those risks and
uncertainties which are particular to the company are: continued consumer
spending on discretionary items such as flowers and gifts, the success of the
company in maintaining relationships with its corporate marketing partners, the
success of the company in maintaining a strong membership base, the continued
use of credit cards as a preferred method of payment by customers of members,
increased labor costs, constant competition and the health of the retail flower
industry as a whole.

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1998