The other problem you have not encountered yet is when you want to do a cash-out refi.

If you do not live there:  Dwelling Fire Policy (aka Landlord policy)  You could also insure it with a Business Owners or Package policy (Commercial policies) but they are normally higher.

During a social encounter, I unknowingly interacted with an individual who misrepresented their age.

It is amazing the cities try to take aim at the landlord ( and of course there are slumlords) but I suggest that most folks on BP that buy into these situations are NOT slumlords but when they encounter the issue you describe which is constant through the asset class they run out of money they get thoroughly discouraged by how this class of tenant lives and acts and just throw up their hands then get labeled as the greedy out of state landlords who wont keep their properties up..

Some of the core topics we hope to explore in our BiggerPockets profile include:- How our military experience has prepared us for the challenges of real estate investing- The process of getting started, from investment knowledge, to understanding different roles and titles used by real estate investors- The specific goals and milestones we've set for ourselves as we navigate this new field- The surprises, setbacks, and moments we encounter as we learn the ropes of real estate investingBy sharing our journey, we aim to provide a helpful resource for other newcomers looking to get started in real estate.

Have you all encountered this in Florida before?

The pet fees in my experience do outweigh the damages we have encountered which have always been slight. 

Tasteful furniture package included.

I purchased a package of 22 SFH's last March, when I thought rates would go lower (they've gone higher). 

In particular, I'd suggest asking those folks about what types of challenges they encountered, lessons they learned, and mistakes they made with OOS REI ...It's a lot easier, safer, quicker, and cheaper to learn from other peoples' mistakes than to make your own...Good luck out there!