Morton’s Siesta Key Market and Liquor Store, Assistant Manager

Q. In January, you were awarded the Shining Star award from the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce at their annual awards dinner. The award is presented to an “outstanding individual who makes Siesta Key special not only through great customer service but also by giving his time, support, and heart to others.” On Morton’s Facebook page, Todd Morton wrote “Amazing job, Corey!!” What was it like to receive that special honor?

Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. Eric Fleming, who was the chairman of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce for the last few years, just before Mason Tush took over, nominated me. I got to know Eric from Morton’s. He’s a great guy. I got to know him better after the hurricanes. After the storms, I remember walking into the store, Morton’s had 24” of water. I called Todd and we all got to work. We all lost a lot. We lost everything in our house. But after those hurricanes, I rebuilt. I had just redone our kitchen a few months before. I had to do it all over again. But I still tried to help everyone that I could. We all helped each other on Siesta Key. Everyone came together.

Q. What makes your job at Morton’s Siesta Key unique and rewarding?

I enjoy the heck out of my job. It’s great. The best part of my job at Morton’s is the time that I spend with our customers. The Morton family has always treated me well and they take good care of me. The people are the most interesting part of being here. There’s something different going on every day. Being a part of management comes with a few late occasional late nights, but that’s all part of the job.

For the most part, the grocery business is a people business. I’m a people person. I try to treat people the way that I like to be treated. Customer service is very important to me. I really enjoy seeing and talking to our regular customers. Most people come to Morton’s in a good mood. They’re either on vacation or they live here and they love Siesta Key. It’s a welcoming place.

This past season was one of the best and the 2026 March spring break was the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here.

Q. What’s a regular day at Morton’s like for you?

No two days are alike. There’s always something happening, something to plan for, something to order, something to take care of. I really enjoy working on different ways to generate business. We like to introduce new concepts and ideas to our customers.

Since Morton’s and everyone on Siesta Key recovered from the hurricanes of 2024, life has settled down. We had a very good season and right now, we’re looking ahead to the 4th of July. At Morton’s we’re doing our part to support the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and to raise money for the fireworks celebration with cookouts in our parking lot.

We also like to support Florida brewers and distillers. We’re planning some beer tastings and rum tasting events. Our #1 Sarasota local breweries are Big Top and Sun King. Siesta Key Rum and Broken Plank Distillery are both Sarasota rum companies and we sell their rums in our Siesta Village Liquors store.

Q. As we move into the summer months, the 4th of July weekend is going to be an important event on Siesta Key. What plans do you have for preparing for the holiday and what can customers look forward to?

This 4th of July will be a very busy and exciting time for Siesta Key and for us. Labor Day weekend will also be a good time.

We’ve held several cookouts in the Morton’s parking lot to support the Siesta Key Chamber’s Fireworks Fund. Everyone enjoys them and most of the proceeds support the fireworks fund. We did the same last year.

So far, we held one cookout on Easter and another on May 22. In June, we’re planning an all-hot dog cookout. It’ll be $4.50 for a hot dog and a bag of chips. Lots of fun and a great deal. We’ve also done hamburger cookouts for $8.50 for a burger and a bag of chips. Our next parking lot cookouts will benefit the fireworks. We’ll post details about June cookouts on our Morton’s Siesta Key Market socials.

We started the Morton’s Siesta Key parking lot cookouts when all were recovering from the hurricanes. It was a way to help our neighbors on the Key and a good way for everyone to be together. We helped each other to get through that tough time. For the first cookout, I brought my own grill over, and we took donations for hurricane recovery efforts.

#5. Do you have a grocery background? How did you get to Morton’s?

I was born and raised in a little town near Pensacola in the Panhandle called Pace, Florida. At the end of 2022, I decided to make a major move, and I relocated to Siesta Key.

I saw that Morton’s Siesta Key Market was hiring for the liquor store, Siesta Village Liquors. I could walk to the store from my house. I applied and got the job and started on January 9, 2023, doing orders.

I was promoted to assistant beverage manager, and I still do that today. Then about six months ago, I was promoted to the front of the house as a manager for Siesta Liquor & Grocery.

I’d never worked in the grocery business before Morton’s. I had owned my own construction company and that covered doing a lot of everything, including construction management. I’d been in and around construction my whole adult life. It’s useful to know how to build things and work with people. Before that, I worked at International Paper in Pensacola. That was a hard hat, steel boots kind of job.

A lot of good things have happened to me since I moved to Siesta Key. It’s such a great place and I really enjoy being in the grocery business at Morton’s.