And someone has to be putting your hard cost and soft cost budgets together to make sure the deal actually works financially, concurrently with getting your land disturbance and building permits approved.I'd say on the average new apartment deal I've been involved with the developer has invested about $800K over a 9-12 month timeframe from signing the contract to buy the property to closing on the loan.I'm not familiar with the Orlando market, but metro Atlanta is going crazy with apartments right now.  

I have to hire out the work on my rental properties that require a permit. 

Then find out the costs of clearing the land (tear-down), permits, modular or mobile home construction and ARV for each scenario?

Some reasons are the crime, high property taxes, high water bills, city government making it hard for investors with fines and dumb permits for the simplest things.

@Nav Chandhoke yep - you should take control and get rid of the roaches first, then work back charge (if lease permits).

This doesn't seem like an expensive job from a parts and labor standpoint, but I know permitting can get tracks.

What happens when local, state, and federal governments and their agencies are no longer able to bring in enormous tax revenue via settlement cost, appraisals, rehabs, construction permits.   

He is telling me if I dont pay him he will get me in trouble with the city by going and pulling a permit tomorrow.  

The only way to remove an area from the floodplain is to raise the level above the base flood elevation similar to what @Dave Dagostino was referring to (don't even think about adding fill to the yard, that requires a 404 permit and impacts the flood plain by creating a dam impacting your neighbors).

I use existing layouts to avoid pulling permits.