Bay County has the best ocean front price per sq. ft. in all of Florida so it's an excellent market to invest in.

This was a temporary whole county problem. 

@Darrell Bratton Baldwin County is the hottest market in the state in my opinion.

Which county are you looking to close in?

And be very straight with the seller that you won't go ahead with the deal if it's not approved for what you want to do with it.. meet with the township or county or whoever is in charge of planning and development.

First off, all the foreclosure information should be readily available through the County Clerk, / Records, to find the owner you can do a skip search,  I would hold off on any other purchases until you find the owner of the house, they are probably out of town owners. 

I have done a few flips for other people (As the contractor) and have really done a lot of homework on real estate, such as foreclosures, tax liens  probate on the County register of deeds.

Good Morning Angela, I am a Realtor in Florida and I understand this completely. ( I am not one of those agents) Thank goodness, I would suggest not letting them know what you intend on doing as they only see $$$ signs, and if you are looking for something off-market then their commission will be less,  I suggest looking for the deals yourself through Zillow, Make me move is a for sale by owner, your county records, for pre-foreclosures,  do your research first, then contact an agent to gain access to a property you may want. 

I do remember signing a form (I can't remember the specific form number- although I probably should) during the closing process that basically stated that the county gov't is trying to reinvest in the area, new shopping, bring in higher incomes, etc.

I search heavily around Hill Air Force Base and in Salt Lake County.