After spending a few days on the island and speaking with locals/expats it was confirmed that the lots Remax are selling in Secret Beach are swamp land.

I would love to connect with everyone in the local area and state.

I do have questions into a local lawyer, trying to understand my options.

You want to find a reliable worker for these things inside local Facebook groups by seeing who others have used.

I wouldn't think so, but I would make it a point to be well versed in your local laws. 

There are lenders who will do the loan if no health or safety issues even with litigation (depending on the details). 

I am hoping to use a local credit union to get a better rate + pament terms.for capex/vacancy etc. what %tage of my monthly rent should I take into account?

This is if you do all the management yourself, (basically buying yourself a part time job), ar good at marketing and interior design, and if your local government doesn’t flip the switch and ban STR or limit the ways you can use it. 

@Johnny Wolff how does your company confirm that local zoning ordinances allow boarding houses?

Try going to local meetups and say the same thing you did in this post.