I've heard horror stories that it's usually impossible due to the "burden placed on the municipality" but could really never understand what that burden was... most people living in those units wouldn't be using the school systems so aside from maybe an increased volume in emergency medical situations I can not understand that statement? 

If dipping into your emergency fund makes you uneasy, you might consider waiting a bit longer to build it up or look for ways to increase your cash flow on the current property.

We have zero concerns of squatter in SWFL.

@Jordan Meltzer unless you find a screaming deal - a Class A property won't cashflow for 3-5 years.Class B: 1-3 years.Class C: most investors don't properly understand the risks, so should stay away from them.So, you may need to deal with negative cashflow, but plan on appreciation increasing your wealth.

We got it under contract but then canceled the contract after some concerns with the foundation.

The house is in Woodforest though so rentability might be lower as well increasing vacancy risk due to high rental costs. 

If experience is your concern, you can easily partner up with another experienced investor in your area to help balance the risk out. 

But once I got the bills, I increased the rent with the tenant's approval and signed an addendum to the lease stating the rent increase would be X and the owner would take over utilities.

Top 3 reasons owners hire PMCs:1) No time to manage correctly2) No time to learn how to manage correcly: laws, documents, processes, etc.3) They're too nice and need someone to "save them from themselves"A good PMC can usually earn their fees by better managing the property/tenant than the owner, thereby:1) Increasing owners net profit2) Decreasing owner's time commitment, stress, headaches, etc.No matter what though, you should always plan to commit a couple of hours a month to manage your PMC.

Unfortunately, this achievement did not result in the substantial increase in inquiries that I had anticipated.