Anyone who thinks the MLS data will cease to be made public needs to think again, who profits from that data?

Short answer: Possibly June of this year for full passage.Long answer: The proposal is going to face some open house/public comment sessions.

Public record - County Clerk online has records in the hundreds of thousands in most states!

view=public What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

That will help narrow down the questions - if an investment you'll focus on the high tourist area with major airports flying in/out, good local transportation system, less than an hour drive from the airport, a low crime rate etc.If personal then you'll look for an environment that suits your taste (tropical, party central, secluded, dive-friendly, luxury, affordable etc).Almost every island I've visited has realtors from America who decided to setup shop there and help out-of-state investors purchase property.

The Attorney Generals office which was tasked with this, and already had a guidance memo that wholesaling was unlicensed brokering, did not have the resources to pursue the subject.So by requiring that the act requires a license, shifts the burden of enforcement primarily off the AG's office and to the MREC, who has a narrower of focus of protecting the public in matters regarding real estate.

However, if one walks 15 minutes the other way (about 0.5 miles), they would arrive in a war-zone, a public housing project where there are murders reported almost every year.

I have seen it from the street and it "could be" 2/1 1606 but won't know for sure until I can get in which won't be until next week.Question is, wondering if it's possible the owner added on but did not get a permit so it's not on public record. 

It impacts the cost of everything...food, shelter, transportation, health, recreation, labor. 

Just google skiptrace and plenty of sites out there to research public info on people.