I've read that for a rental activity to qualify for Section 179 expensing, you have to be engaged in it AS A BUSINESS, not merely as an investor. 

After that I refinanced out, and lived there for a short time before I got engaged and moved in with my now wife. 

I'm a bit surprised as I figured that in this market, anyone looking to buy would be worth engaging. 

In regards to the REI front I was networking at meetups and staying engaged locally with investors.

You will be able to manage properties in your own name, but if you want to manage for other owners you will need to register under the direct supervision of a broker, and if you personally are engaging in real estate activities you will need to be a licensed salesperson. 

If you go the inexpensive route, be prepared to engage a CPA or tax attorney at their normal hourly rate for support. 

The main reason for this is because in most states you have to be 18 years old to engage in contracts... that would include leases and management agreements.

Since we moved to Florida, we have positioned ourselves to dive in head first into the REI and be fully engaged.

That is the only fair thing, to let them protect their initial investment by paying extra money to redeem from the tax sale, even if it is an earlier investor redeeming from a later auction when they failed to pay the taxes.You protect yourself the same way you protect yourself from former owners or their heirs redeeming--you establish exclusive possession, you burn off redemption rights, you buy out people's rights, you engage in strategic litigation to eliminate rights, etc.

You might engage with them and help them understand unemployment is available for 100% of lost wages there are food stamps available etc. you might also inform them that they need to provide documentation to get rent delayed   ?