Prolific condo developer and auctioneer dies at 81

Prolific Sarasota homebuilder and condo developer Alan Roberts once had an unusual sign on his desk that suggested, what for some, could be a life lesson: “Help lame duck over fence,” it read, “get shit in hand every time.”

Yet Roberts, by many accounts, was the total opposite of that saying — save for its mischievous nature. In addition to his showman sense of humor, Roberts, with a Renaissance man-like life resume that ranges from diamond and antique auctioneer to a stint in the U.S. Army and developer and dealmaker to semi-pro baseball player, was someone who would gladly help anyone over the fence, says his son, Wes Roberts. “He loved helping people,” Wes Roberts says. “He saw the very best in everybody.”