What's the best strategy for snow birds

[Luke Monahan]

My parents are heading to FL for a month this winter. They are considering becoming snowbirds, but I don't think they would go more than 3-4 months a year. There's a lot up in the air and I was hoping there were some best practices or insider tips for making a good investment. I'm talking to a few friends for an agent, but nothing official yet. 

Ideally, I would split the property with them. Let them use it for the winter and try to rent it for the rest. I assume I'll have to do short-term (are those still alive?) rentals in that case. The FL market is not familiar to me, I would want to be in a complex with some shared amenities. Do they have on-site property managers or are they all third party?

Does anyone have any good resources for me to start on?