Last updated: February 2026
It's 9:45pm on a Tuesday. You just got back from dinner at Café Hobe, pulled into your driveway off Bridge Road, and your keys are nowhere. Not in your purse, not on the seat, not in the ignition. They're inside. And your spare is at your sister's place in Jupiter. That's the exact moment most Hobe Sound homeowners realize they don't have a locksmith's number saved in their phone.
Stuart Locksmiths covers Hobe Sound from our base in Stuart, roughly 7 miles down US-1. On a normal run, we're at your door in 20 to 28 minutes.
Why Lockouts Happen More Often in Hobe Sound Than You'd Think
Hobe Sound sits in a particular geographic pocket that creates some specific problems for homeowners. The humidity coming off the Intracoastal and Jupiter Island pushes salt air into every door frame, every lock cylinder, and every deadbolt mechanism year-round. Locks seize up. Keys start sticking, then stop turning entirely, usually at the worst possible time.
The older wood-frame cottages along SE Gomez Avenue and the canal-front properties near Pettway Creek see this constantly. The newer builds in the gated communities off Olympus Drive have a different problem: smart locks and electronic keypads that the salt air corrodes from the inside out over 3 to 5 years.
Snowbirds leaving for 5 or 6 months make it worse. A lock that sat unused from April to November in Florida humidity is a lock that may not cooperate when you need it in December.
Hobe Sound Property Crime: What the Numbers Actually Say
A lot of locksmith pages throw vague warnings at you. Here's real data for Martin County and the Hobe Sound area specifically, sourced from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI Uniform Crime Report.
| Metric | Hobe Sound / Martin County | Florida State Average |
|---|---|---|
| Burglary rate per 100K residents | ~210 (Martin County, FDLE 2023) | ~280 |
| Larceny/theft rate per 100K | ~1,180 (Martin County, FDLE 2023) | ~1,450 |
| Most common entry method (burglary) | Unlocked door or window: 37% | Force at front/rear door: 54% |
| Vacation/seasonal property risk window | April to November (6-8 months unoccupied) | Varies |
Martin County actually runs below the state average. But 37% of local burglaries happening at unlocked entries means a deadbolt upgrade matters more than an alarm system in a lot of cases. Deadbolt installation is one of the fastest security returns you can get for under $200.
What Stuart Locksmiths Does in Hobe Sound
We handle the full range of residential, commercial, and automotive locksmith work throughout Hobe Sound. That includes the neighborhoods north of the Loxahatchee River, the A1A corridor near Jonathan Dickinson State Park, and the waterfront communities along SE Federal Highway.
Here's what our Hobe Sound calls typically cover:
- Residential Lockout Service - locked out of your home, condo, or rental
- Lock Rekey Service - new tenant, new owner, or lost key situation
- Lock Change & Replacement - full hardware swap when a rekey won't cut it
- Deadbolt Installation & Repair - especially after storm damage or frame swelling
- Smart Lock Installation - keypad and app-controlled locks for seasonal properties
- High-Security Lock Installation - Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and ABLOY-grade hardware
- Home Security Upgrades - full door and entry point audit
- Car Lockout Service - keys locked in your vehicle on US-1 or at the park
- Car Key Replacement - transponder-cut keys on-site
- Break-In & Burglary Repair - emergency board-up and lock replacement
- Emergency Locksmith - after-hours calls, any day
- Gate Lock Service - community gates, estate entries, driveway hardware
Commercial clients along SE Bridge Road and the small business corridor near US-1 and Gomez can reach us for commercial locksmith service, access control systems, and commercial lockout service as well.
How We Handle a Typical Hobe Sound Call
You call (772) 362-5731. We pick up. No call center, no voicemail maze. A real person confirms your address and sends the nearest technician, typically from our Stuart location off SE Ocean Boulevard.
Travel time from Stuart to most Hobe Sound addresses runs 18 to 28 minutes depending on traffic on US-1 through the traffic light at Bridge Road. At peak winter snowbird season, add 5 to 10 minutes.
We quote a price on the phone before we roll. No bait-and-switch, no "we'll tell you when we get there." A standard residential lockout in Hobe Sound runs $75 to $125. A rekey on a 3-lock door runs $95 to $150. Car lockouts are typically $65 to $95.
Our technicians are Florida-licensed through the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. We carry current liability insurance and have completed over 1,400 service calls in Martin County alone since 2019.
One thing specific to Hobe Sound properties: a lot of homes here have exterior doors that swell during hurricane season. If your deadbolt is suddenly hard to turn in August or September, it's almost never the lock itself. The door frame has shifted. We know how to diagnose that in under 5 minutes and tell you whether you need a locksmith or a carpenter. That kind of honesty is rare in this trade.
For seasonal properties near Jonathan Dickinson or the Jupiter Island side of Hobe Sound, we also strongly recommend a smart lock or keyless entry system so a property manager or house-sitter can get in without a physical key. The number of "lost key" calls we get from seasonal residents who forgot where they left their spare is genuinely high.
Nearby Areas We Also Cover
Our service area extends north and south from Hobe Sound. If you're near the Martin/Palm Beach county line or closer to the Treasure Coast, we've got you covered. We regularly serve Tequesta, Jensen Beach, Palm City, and Port St. Lucie as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take Stuart Locksmiths to reach Hobe Sound?
From our Stuart base, most Hobe Sound addresses take 18 to 28 minutes. During peak snowbird season (December through March), US-1 traffic near Bridge Road can add another 5 to 10 minutes. We'll give you an honest ETA when you call.
My lock is hard to turn but not broken. Is that a locksmith problem or something else?
In Hobe Sound specifically, this is almost always door frame expansion from humidity and heat. Exterior doors swell in Florida summers, and the deadbolt bolt starts binding against the strike plate. We can diagnose it on-site and tell you whether lubricant, a lock repair,