As an appraiser I’ve appraised a handful of properties recently that are outside of city limits and operating successfully as STR’s that don’t have the same regulations as the city of St Pete.

Aside from that, it sounds like my operation is quite a bit smaller than what you and your network operate with, but properties that are wholesaled are usually all cash or hard money, so the initial funding aspect usually isn't a roadblock.

Lenders see all, including how little margin some flippers are operating on.  

If anything this is more of a fly-by night operators vs seasoned operators argument.

Turn-key operators, etc. 

Missy is one of the top 10 turnkey operators in the US.. 

While the second LLC does not yet have an EIN, can we temporarily operate using only the bank account of the first LLC (which also holds the property)?

This can be a great option if you don’t have the time or desire to deal with the day-to-day operations of managing a property.

I do NOT think having an operating LLC located in a different state than the ones owned is overkill. 

Hawaii is one of the two markets I operate in (and Anchorage, AK).