FLB First Natl Bancshares Fla

First National Bankshares of Florida, Inc. Included in the Newly Reconstituted Russell 3000 Equity Index NAPLES, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First National Bankshares of Florida, Inc. (NYSE:FLB), a diversified financial services company focused on expansion in the high-growth Florida market, today announced that it has been included in the Russell 3000 Index, effective June 25, 2004. The Russell 3000 Index is a leading benchmark that contains the 3,000 largest companies incorporated in the United States ranked by total market capitalization. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031230/FNBFLOGO ) "It is truly an honor to have our stock included in the Russell 3000 index," said Gary L. Tice, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First National Bankshares. "Our inclusion in this well-recognized investment index represents another milestone for us and reflects our company's growth and will further boost our visibility in the investment community." Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for passive and active investment strategies. More than $360 billion is invested in passive funds based on Russell's indexes and an additional $1.4 trillion is benchmarked to them. Investment managers who oversee these funds buy shares of member stocks according to that company's weighting in the particular index. The Russell Investment Group rebalances its 21 U.S. equity indexes on an annual basis. This process results in a newly adjusted stock composition for all Russell indexes, effective with the start of the third quarter. By adjusting its equity indexes annually, Russell achieves an accurate ranking of the 3,000 largest U.S. public companies comprising 98% of the investable equity market, based on total market capitalization. Membership in the Russell 3000 means automatic inclusion in the large-cap Russell 1000 Index or the small-cap Russell 2000 Index as well as the appropriate growth and style indexes. The newly reconstituted Russell indexes may be viewed at http://www.russell.com/. About First National Bankshares First National Bankshares of Florida, Inc. is a $4.0 billion diversified financial services company headquartered in Naples, Florida. In addition to traditional banking, the company provides a complete line of insurance and wealth management services with 59 full-service financial centers located throughout Southwest and Central Florida. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FLB." About the Russell Investment Group Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Russell is a leader in multi-manager investment services that provides investment products and services in more than 35 countries. Russell manages more than $107 billion in assets and advises clients worldwide representing more than $1.8 trillion. Founded in 1936, Russell is a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual. Except for the historical and present factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including those identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, costs, delays, and any other difficulties related to the mergers, failure of the parties to satisfy closing conditions, risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulations, future financial and operating results, competition, economic conditions, ability to manage and continue growth, and other risk industry factors as detailed from time to time in First National Bankshares of Florida's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. First National Bankshares of Florida disclaims any responsibility to update these forward-looking statements. CONTACT: Clay W. Cone Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications 239-436-1676 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031230/FNBFLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: First National Bankshares of Florida, Inc. CONTACT: Clay W. Cone, Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications, First National Bankshares Of Florida, Inc., +1-239-436-1676 Web site: http://www.firstnationalbankshares.com/

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