Weston would be closest to you, not sure how you feel about that distance but it isn't very far from Ft Lauderdale.

This might not be a popular opinion, but since you've lived in the house and know the area, as long as the property isn't fraught with problems, it shouldn't be too tough to self-manage, even long distance.  

I am not looking for flip or rehab since managing such projects long distance is hard.

Here's the deal:4/2 single family, built 1910/ walking distance to 2 colleges70k agreed-on price1400/mo rentsPretty much turn-key/has been updated already!

So both investing yourself locally or turnkey at distance share similar risks.

It also seems as if renting from a home owner is 100% legal as well (as long as it is not a certain distance from a school zone, and the amount of plants do not exceed the legal limit the caregiver is allowed to produce for their patients).

As a result I'm trying to do as much legwork as possible long distance, before investing in a plane ticket and trip to check out a property.After looking further into this area it looks rough. really rough. 

Competition is pretty fierce and distance marketing has a major disadvantage.

I don't want to purchase a turnkey property 1st, I'd rather buy low and rehab however I'm concerned with doing a long distance rehab.

Given the distance from me and the fact it was an owner occupy and the owner wanted to do a lease back, I created my own letter of intent that modeled the BP one (link below).