THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
In The Court of Appeals

Floral Beach Corporation, Inc.,        Appellant,

v.

Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Surfside Beach,        Respondent.

Appeal From Horry County
Sidney T. Floyd, Circuit Court Judge

Unpublished Opinion No. 2003-UP-390
Heard March 12, 2003 – Filed June 10, 2003

AFFIRMED

James C. McLeod, Jr., of Florence, for Appellant.

N. David DuRant, of Surfside Beach, for Respondent.

PER CURIAM:  Floral Beach Corporation, Inc. (“Floral”) appeals the denial of a variance to permit staircases on the landward end of a beach walkover.  We affirm.

FACTUAL/PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Town of Surfside Beach (“Surfside”) issued a certificate of occupancy to Floral for two beachfront houses in Surfside.  Subsequently, Floral constructed staircases, without the appropriate permits, on the landward end of beach walkovers to permit pedestrian traffic to and from the beach from a point underneath the house. 

The Zoning Administrator (“Administrator”) notified Floral the staircases were in violation of the Surfside Zoning Ordinance, sections 17-389(1) [1] and 17-390(b), [2] because the staircases were seaward of the shore protection line and were seven feet wide.  Floral applied for a variance from the Surfside Beach Zoning Board of Appeals (“Board”).  The Board denied the variance, ruling:  1) any hardship Floral suffered was self-imposed and did not result from exceptional circumstances; 2) the conditions were not peculiar to the property in