In general I believe it depends on *your* specific objectives and precise metrics: ROI/ yield, cash on hand, timeline, your time investment, skills you could leverage/ take advantage of (your strengths/ level of experience / skills to add value at each step e.g, hands-on remodeling vs. hiring a team), etc. 

Make sure they correspond to the strength of each partner so the partnership is the sum total of each persons strengths.

On top of that, the legal environment is not friendly to landlords.The saving grace could be that the market retains massive strength and property values keep going up.

In my opinion neither is superior to the other and each has their strengths and weaknesses.

We lived there so it was hard because we had two small boys.Know your strengths....plumbing is not ours...also tile.

Recently, I have realized my strengths are more on the analytical side and I would like to transition to a role that will allow me to do work utilizing my strengths, and learn skills that will help me with multifamily investing.

Any info on the strength of that market for rentals?

Change your time line to capitalize on market strength but the opportunity is here:Tampa is ranked #2 by RealWealth in its 17 Best Places to Buy Rental Properties in the US.

I know their strengths and weaknesses. 

I'm a highly analytical numbers guy so I see my strengths being complemented by a partner focused on building key relationships.I apologize in advance for the naive newbie intro -- I'm proud to get my first post out there and excited for what's to come!