Hoping to see it re-emerge in a month or so. 

Checkout emergent - http://emergent-group.com/Use them commercially, and I've invested in some of their residential work.

That this happens sometimes and we can just request a copy fron their long term tenants, but given the challenges with their lack of cooperation, I wish I just rescheduled the closing until they got the keys.Anyhow, my realtor is now suggesting we just use a locksmith to change their locks, give them a copy and keep one for ourselves for emergency entry with notice.

I plan to self manage the property In regards to financing, I have saved up $250,000 cash that I can invest and still have enough money to live comfortably + emergency fund.

With insurance being a cash flow killer in Florida, make sure you invest in roofs, wiring, water heater, pest control...all things that will cost you more now or potentially cause damage along the way that you can control before they become an emergency. 

It's always good to have emergency money whether you need it or not. 

Some more are "The Real Estate Game" by William Poorvu, "Emerging Real Estate Markets" by David Lindah, and "What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow..." by Frank Gallinelli

I am going to make a binder for tenants at the start of their tenancy with: their lease and addendums, emergency contact info, helpful local info, rules and regs, etc...

I wouldn't really expect my PM to do anything over and above what they already do with the LTRs (ie checking in, checking out, responding to messages, etc), but I would like to know that in case of an emergency or maintenance issue, that I can count on them to handle it.

If they haven't been able to build an emergency savings and don't have the money to move in up front than they are an emergency away from being late on rent.