I have enough cash to put a down payment on a mid-sized single family home, as well as cover the cost of a whole home remodel if I needed to, but I'd be using a lot of my own cash doing both, an idea we aren't too fond of. 

Not fond of the terms usage here.  

But like most things it will not happen overnight, it will require hard work and sacrifice and you will have "lucky" and "unlucky" experiences (the latter we often fondly refer to as "growth experiences" ha ha).My advice to new people is, "start small and stay local, get comfortable, establish your procedures & systems, and then expand when you feel ready to move to the next level."

B ham was about 20 years behind the west coast when it comes to brew pubs but they are learning quick.Enjoy southern hospitality I am rather fond of B ham personally ..

Not so fond of laminate or hardwood on concrete sub-floor surfaces; Mike Holmes had an episode on wood on concrete sub-floors that showed lots of issues.

I am not fond of rental properties as  I like to flip in general however, being your particular situation and being close to retirement, I would look into property in a a real vacation area.

Do I do I fond every member or the group or just send a mail piece to the group as one ?

Any particular reason you chose Sunrise area besides lower pricing.Many are not fond of the area.Strawberry Property is who I would go with. 

If you have starter homes or custom homes if you can fond a guy like me get to know that person because I make deals all the time & it has worked for the owners because i have brought lasting value to these properties & even got a few great referrals.

The flight from Tampa is a long one and we really weren't fond of being cramped for that long.