Exhibit 23
                                                                  
      
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Florida Power Corporation:
 
We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements No.
33-62210 on Form S-3 and No. 33-50908 on Form S-3 of Florida Power Corporation
of our report dated January 24, 1994, relating to the balance sheets of Florida
Power Corporation as of December 31, 1993 and 1992, and the related statements
of income, shareholders' equity and cash flows and related schedules for each
of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1993, which report
appears in the December 31, 1993 annual report on Form 10-K of Florida Power
Corporation.
  
Our report refers to a change in the methods of accounting for income taxes and
postretirement benefits other than pensions. 
  

/s/KPMG PEAT MARWICK
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KPMG PEAT MARWICK
St. Petersburg, Florida                                                        

        
      
  
March 24, 1994