The burden of the vacant lots will never allow you to achieve positive cash flow.

In the case of a natural disaster causing service issues the landlord has no control over they are not responsible.

Again I am out of the area for Military service so I will get these project moving as soon as able.

Also what service have you used in the past to get this done?

Honestly how do landlords get themselves so stuck.. inherited problems or not.. this sounds like it would have been the first thing I would have done was to get rid of the dogs.Tell tenant you have no choice they either get dogs gone or else, you file for eviction,  non-compliance failure to permit management / services to enter apartment to do emergency repairs. 

Go find a deal off mls that pencils out, has terms you can work with - maybe look for a lamb that has strayed from the herd - maybe more achievable as a 1st conquest.

Actually Orlando got hurt worse in Charley than Fort Myers and I have colleagues in Orlando are still without power now (but they do have phone service so I can mock them).But there's two other fundamental dynamics that might bear some consideration.  

Hope you achieve that freedom number!

My Chicago based company offers some management services.  

Honestly paying for a skip trace service & getting a good motivated seller list is your best option