Admittedly, they seem a bit sketchy,My question would be, for a person such as my self, how does one go about vetting these syndicates?  

I am not sure what type of real estate investing you're considering, but it sounds like, with your family and busy job, you won't have a lot of time to be hands-on or personally involved. 

I personally used Jon McGraw in the past and he is extremely knowledgeable in the field. 

There are very few lenders that will allow you to close in a personal name in FL.

Liability Protection: An LLC provides legal separation between your personal and rental property assets, which can protect personal assets if a lawsuit arises.

We built it out of necessity and started same way as everyone, cut our teeth on bad decisions.

Hire an inspector /independent person to manage the job site for you, someone with your best interest at heart.

Unless you revise your plan and ensure that your personal use is under 10% of the rental use.

It would just need to be a situation where they have great contact with the person doing that managing of the project (I.e. have known the person for years, great reputation, person has experience in flipping etc.).

For me personally long term rentals add another layer of complexity and staff needs.