Does time taking care of (mowing/landscaping) and managing (keeping records, paying HOA dues, paying taxes) my vacant parcels count towards my 750 hours of being a real estate professional?

If you're looking for a landlord friendly state with lower taxes and a market with lots of potential for appreciation, Columbus could be a good fit.Best of luck as you start out! 

I'm still learning about this type of lending but the appeal to me is that they don't consider personal income or tax returns, it does not need personal debt-to-income ratio qualifications, it's collateral based borrowing..

Judicial,Collateral,Unsecured,Secured,Seller,Syndication ~ confirmed Mortgage Brokers (sophistication, in lending terms) "15% ROI Margins" ~ confirmed ROI unknown tho…Tax attorney(Roth,Judicial, Sophistication) "10% ROI"  Unknown*Accountants (how much and where Terms infrastructure legalities) 7% ROI Unknown*Mortgage broker (lending acquisition all major lenders ,TD,RBC…….

Look up the tax bracket and help show the seller how much money they would be giving away in taxes right off the bat from that $160k (unless they are doing a 1031)All in all.

Setting up a separate bank account is also easy and free in many situations, this will allow you to keep things clean especially at tax time.

Maintenance costs in a resort area can also be higher than in non-resort areas.Regulatory Environment: Local regulations regarding short-term rentals can change, impacting your ability to rent out the condo or imposing additional requirements or taxes.

My concern revolves around potential increases in taxes or fees for owning an investment property in NY while residing in FL.

Do I get tax breaks as well getting a cash refinance loan? 

With HOA and other expenses like insurance, taxes, it will generate around negative cash flow of around 700 dollars per month.