I have rental property in Florida. Getting someone evicted is not easy there. It can take several months, and there are no "cheap eviction" companies that I could find there. An attorney I spoke with wanted $4,000.
In Arizona, as an example, you can have someone evicted in less than 30 days, and they have firms that specialize in this with paralegals doing all the paperwork, and charge about $350 per eviction.
I think we all agree the "service dog" is a bold face lie, so that speaks to the person's character. His "multi-million dollar pending business deal with a 600 credit score tells me this guy is most likely a BSr, or just someone who doesn't pay his bills.
Most people pay their rent if they are financially able to, as maintaining a roof over their head is important to them. Those that don't fall into two categories, those who lose their jobs and don't have emergency funds to carry them, and con men, who know the law and the time frame involved in eviction and all the ways they can delay it. They will usually stick you in the end a few months before they intend to vacate the property.
If you have a property management company they should be able to do an eviction search on the tenant in Florida and the other state they say they lived. A reference when it involves a single family home or condo owned by one owner can always turn out to be a friend or relative.
An apartment building run by a management company is a more reliable reference. On another note, I have in the past taken a chance with someone who had a not so good credit score, but only if I met them and they had a credible story. If they had decent credit for a number of years, then either lost their job, or got divorced, or had large medical expenses, and their credit then went south. These people can be worthwhile. Not something I like to do though, as it is risky. If you are new to being a landlord, understand that 70% of your applicants will have bad credit by the way. You usually have to go through a few applications to get a good one. Especially today with so many layoffs and people abandoning their homes. Also people who need a place right away, are usually not your best prospects. Just some friendly Landlord advise.