I live in the panhandle, in Destin FL but I work all over the state of FL.  

@Oscar Navarro,For that same kind of money, you can get "lifetime" access to some 80 hours of on-line classes in REI basics, tax and legal considerations for investors, credit management and personal finance including all additions and updates.Connect with me if you'd like to know more.David J Dachtera"Success is not a destination.

Leah - I'm a Realtor and STR investor in the Destin area.

@Paul Shannon - You can definitely meet those terms in the Destin market. 

Be close enough to town so they can run in and get supplies if needed.You want to be both a destination and an in the way location.

BP,
I am currently taking pre-license courses for my real estate license and aim to be completed in about 1-2 months. This will be very much a part-time / weekend job for me because I am currently on active duty mili...

Or if you buy in a destination place (such as a college town) maybe long term rent one part of the duplex for guaranteed income, then AirBNB the other side. 

And if I had a nickle for every time someone told me how failure was my destination....... well brother, i would have over 100million nickles. 

You will probably see some trends (like homes with pools in Phoenix, homes with a view in a resort destination, etc...)

@Steve Uekert I think that people are being short sighted by focusing on resort/vacation destinations for STR.