Getting the management to send any kind of repair person takes forever as they have multiple buildings in different locations.The guy that owns the place has an over 20,000 sq ft house here locally and he is from a prominent family.

-lot cost-closing cost-utilities cost to disconnect and reconnect-demo cost-permit cost-architect cost-build cost-realtor commission for resaleFor anyone who has done a deal like this before, what is the minimum profit you would need to make to consider this a deal?

If this is the case, consider new service tenants, like architects or a CPA.To evaluate your deal, take a look at the commercial leases. 

Unfortunately I am not working with a zoning attorney but I am working with an architect who has sort of taken on this role informally and also a slight mentor through the entire process.Unfortunately it is a lower income neighborhood which I didn't realize before that the gentrification is starting to displace people and it's obvious that the current residents are extremely upset about this.

I will check with my architect to see if a 1/2 acre will be big enough to build a 12000 sqft building on.

Architect or Engineer is not the answer I am looking for.

In Austin, we have a decent variety of industries for the size of the city: lots of tech, creative class jobs (small businesses like restaurants, designers, architects, video production, gaming...), city and state government (Austin is the capital of Texas), nationally recognized entrepreneurialism and incubators, education (UT + other smaller, but respected colleges), and others that I'm sure I'm missing.Combine these job opportunities with a fairly business-friendly state, a city that people want to live in, good jobs that allow people to relocate, and this has created several years of insane growth.

Simultaneously building a brain trust consisting of civil Engineer / architect / initial sweet equity partners/ ?

GC's, roofers, architects etc. tend to give a quote for free, especially if there's a lucrative contract involved.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale enjoys a much more prominent financial center than that of Tampa.