DUI and criminal cases in Martin County: courts, jail, programs and local facts

Martin County sits directly north of Palm Beach County, but its criminal cases are handled in a different judicial circuit, the Nineteenth, with its own State Attorney, judges and programs. This page gathers the county-level facts, each from the court, clerk, sheriff, prosecutor or state agency that publishes it. For the charges the office handles, see the criminal defense practice areas. Impaired driving is covered on the main DUI defense page.

How does a Martin County case move, step by step?

1. Arrest. The Martin County Sheriff's Office or a municipal police department makes the arrest.
2. Booking. The person is taken to the Martin County Jail at the Holt Law Enforcement Center on Monterey Road in Stuart.
3. Bond or first appearance. The person bonds out or appears before a judge, often by Zoom video, within 24 hours.
4. The filing decision. The State Attorney's Martin County office reviews the arrest and decides what to file.
5. Court in Stuart. Misdemeanors, criminal traffic and DUI go to county court and felonies to circuit court, both at the Martin County Courthouse.
6. Programs or trial. Pretrial intervention, a treatment court, a plea, or motions and trial.

Which court and circuit handle a Martin County case?

The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit serves Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties, with its court administration office in Port St. Lucie. In Martin County it lists one courthouse: the Martin County Courthouse, 100 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, telephone 772-288-5576, with free parking in the lot on SW Flagler Avenue on the west side of the building. County court hears misdemeanors and criminal traffic cases, including DUI (s. 34.01), and circuit court hears every felony (s. 26.012(2)(d)). Under the circuit's Administrative Order 2026-03, effective January 12, 2026, Martin County Court cases are divided into thirds among three county judges, and Martin's circuit judges share weekend first appearances in rotation with the county judges.

What a defendant meets inside the building, from the Clerk's criminal division to the felony courtroom rules, is described on our page about what to expect at the Martin County Courthouse and jail in Stuart.

Where is someone held after a Martin County arrest?

The Sheriff's Office describes the Martin County Jail as a 696-bed maximum-security facility on the south side of Monterey Road, in the Martin County Public Safety Complex at the Holt Law Enforcement Center. Its Booking Unit, at 772-220-7200 (option 0), gives charge, bond and release information. The jail does not accept cash for bonds; money orders, cashier's checks or a bondsperson are used instead. On-site visitation ended on September 18, 2023, and visits are now remote or offsite. How bond is set under Florida law is explained in how bond is set after an arrest. The first days in general are covered in what happens in the first 48 hours after an arrest.

Who prosecutes in Martin County?

Thomas Bakkedahl is the State Attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. His office says it has full-time offices in each of the four counties, that in Martin the office sits in a courthouse facility, and that about 55 assistant state attorneys are assigned mainly to the juvenile, misdemeanor and felony divisions across the circuit. The Martin County Office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office also runs a Victim Services hotline, staffed 24 hours. Whether charges are filed, reduced or dropped is the prosecutor's decision, explained in whether criminal charges can be dropped before trial.

How many cases does the Martin County Court handle?

The same report counts 406 DUI dispositions in Martin County that year. DUI filings made up about 12 percent of Martin's county criminal filings, compared with about 6 percent in Palm Beach County (2,678 of 43,852). Overall, Martin's county criminal docket is about a tenth the size of Palm Beach County's.

Which programs can change how a Martin County case ends?

• Martin County Adult Drug Court: the circuit describes two ways in. Some defendants enter as a diversion after a plea; if they finish, the plea is withdrawn and the charges dismissed. Others are placed in the program as a condition of probation, which can lead to early termination of probation but does not dismiss the charges.
• Martin Mental Health Court: for pending felony or misdemeanor charges where a severe mental illness or intellectual disability is the primary diagnosis. The circuit lists four ways in: conditional release after incompetency or insanity findings, diversion, a condition of probation, or a condition of bond.
• Case management: Martin County Human Services says it provides case management for both courts and assessment and case management for juveniles in pre-arrest citation and diversion programs.
• Pretrial intervention: Florida law allows a first offender, or someone with no more than one prior nonviolent misdemeanor, charged with a misdemeanor or third-degree felony, to enter pretrial intervention with the consent of the program administrator, the victim, the State Attorney and the judge (s. 948.08(2)).

Unlike the State Attorneys in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, the Nineteenth Circuit's State Attorney does not describe a first-time DUI program on its website. How diversion works in the counties that publish their programs is on our page about pretrial diversion in Florida. For comparison, see the Palm Beach County first-time DUI program.

Where do Martin County drivers handle the license side of a DUI?

A DUI arrest starts a separate administrative suspension with a 10-day deadline, explained on our page about keeping your license within 10 days of a DUI arrest. FLHSMV lists the Bureau of Administrative Reviews office for Martin County drivers in Lauderdale Lakes, at 3718-3 W. Oakland Park Blvd., and says a formal review request or a hardship license application can be emailed without a visit. Driver license services in the county are run by the Martin County Tax Collector at four offices: Stuart (3485 SE Willoughby Blvd.), Palm City (3001 SW Martin Downs Blvd.), Hobe Sound (11734 SE Federal Highway) and Indiantown (16550 SW Warfield Blvd.). FLHSMV directs drivers to the Clerk of Court for traffic citation payments, listing 100 E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart, 772-288-5542. The hearing itself is described in what happens at a DUI formal review hearing.

What changes the answer?

• Misdemeanor or felony. County court for misdemeanors and criminal traffic (s. 34.01); circuit court for felonies (s. 26.012(2)(d)).
• Domestic violence. A person arrested for domestic violence is held until a judge sets bail (s. 741.2901(3)); our domestic violence defense page explains how these cases are defended. Restraining orders are covered in what happens at an injunction hearing.
• The day of the week. Weekend first appearances rotate among Martin's circuit and county judges (Administrative Order 2026-03).
• Prior record. Pretrial intervention under s. 948.08 is limited to first offenders and people with at most one prior nonviolent misdemeanor.
• Treatment needs. Drug Court and Mental Health Court each have their own entry rules.

A worked example

For example, picture a hypothetical Jupiter resident stopped on U.S. 1 in Hobe Sound by a Sheriff's deputy and arrested for a first DUI. Because the stop is in Martin County, the driver is booked at the Monterey Road jail in Stuart, not at the Palm Beach County jail on Gun Club Road, and the case is filed in Martin County Court. The family brings a cashier's check or uses a bondsperson, since the jail takes no cash. The license review still goes to the FLHSMV bureau office in Lauderdale Lakes, the same office Palm Beach drivers use, and the 10-day deadline runs from the arrest. The Palm Beach first-time DUI program does not apply to a Martin County case. This is a hypothetical walk-through, not a prediction.

Common mistakes people make

• Assuming a Martin County case will be handled in West Palm Beach because the person lives in Palm Beach County.
• Arriving at the jail with cash for a bond.
• Expecting a Palm Beach or Miami-Dade DUI program to be offered in the Nineteenth Circuit.
• Forgetting that the license deadline runs separately from the court date.
• Missing a court date in Stuart because the notice was mailed to an old address.

What to do this week

1. Call the Booking Unit at 772-220-7200 (option 0) for charges and bond.
2. Read the citation or notice for the court date and courtroom in Stuart.
3. For a DUI, act on the 10-day license deadline.
4. Gather the arrest papers, receipts and names of witnesses.
5. Speak with a defense attorney before the first court date.

Questions people ask about a Martin County case

The first days

• The order of events after a drunk driving arrest is set out in what happens after a DUI arrest in Florida.
• A day-by-day plan is in the first week after a DUI arrest.
• Court attendance is covered in whether you must go to your arraignment.
• Visitors stopped on the Treasure Coast should read what a Florida DUI means for an out-of-state license.

License and insurance

• Work driving is explained in a hardship license after a DUI.
• Interlock rules are in when an ignition interlock is required.
• Insurance filings are covered in FR-44 insurance after a DUI.

Testing

• A refusal is covered in what happens if you refused the breath test.
• Breath instrument rules are in Florida's breath test rules.
• Blood draws are covered in when police can take your blood.
• Drug impairment cases are in a DUI for marijuana or prescription drugs.
• Drivers under 21 should see the rules for underage drivers who were drinking.

Penalties and costs

• Sentences for each offense are in Florida DUI penalties.
• The full bill is estimated in how much a DUI costs beyond the fine.
• Impoundment is explained in what happens to your car after a DUI.
• The required course is covered in DUI school.
• Crash cases are in a DUI that involved a crash.
• The gravest charge is explained in DUI manslaughter.
• Maximums by degree are in the criminal penalties chart.
• Felony sentencing is covered in how a felony scoresheet works.

Guns and self-defense

• Immunity claims are covered in stand-your-ground immunity.
• Carrying without a license is covered in the concealed carry rules.
• A prior felony with a gun is covered in felon in possession of a firearm.

How a case can end

• A lesser charge is discussed in whether a DUI can be reduced to reckless driving.
• Time limits are in the speedy trial rule.
• Plea outcomes are explained in a withhold of adjudication.
• The record afterward is covered in whether a DUI can be sealed.

Family violence and injunctions

• The hold until a judge sets bail is explained in what happens after a domestic violence arrest.
• Penalties for a family battery are in what a domestic battery conviction carries.
• Contact after an order is covered in the penalty for violating an injunction.

Other charges and next steps

• Stolen property values are explained in petit versus grand theft.
• Store cases are covered in what happens after a shoplifting arrest in Florida.
• Entering a building or vehicle is graded in whether burglary is always a felony.
• Possession charges, one route into the Martin County Adult Drug Court, are covered in drug possession penalties.
• Mandatory prison by weight is in the trafficking weights.
• Violence charges are compared in assault versus battery in Florida.
• Juvenile custody and detention rules are explained in after a juvenile arrest.
• Medical marijuana and small amounts are covered in is marijuana possession still a crime.
• A violation arrest and the chance of release are covered in probation violation bond.
• The first steps after a Martin County charge follow the first-week checklist after a criminal charge.
• The FDLE and court steps after picking up the Clerk's free packet are in how to seal or expunge, step by step.

Criminal traffic charges

• Martin County drivers can count their points with the suspension thresholds.
• A Martin County suspended-license citation is explained in driving while license suspended.
• The 5-year revocation for repeat offenders is covered in habitual traffic offender status.
• Crashes on US 1 or Kanner Highway followed by leaving are covered in leaving the scene of an accident.
• A reckless driving charge in Stuart is compared with careless driving in this side-by-side page.
• Which Martin County citations require court is explained in criminal versus civil tickets.
• Failing to stop for a Martin County deputy is covered in the fleeing statute.
• Racing and takeover charges fall under the street takeover and stunt driving rules.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Martin County jail?

At 800 SE Monterey Road, Stuart, in the Holt Law Enforcement Center. The Sheriff's Booking Unit answers at 772-220-7200, option 0.

Where is a Martin County DUI heard?

At the Martin County Courthouse, 100 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, where the county judges hear misdemeanor and criminal traffic cases.

Is Martin County in the same circuit as Palm Beach County?

No. Martin is in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit with Indian River, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties; Palm Beach County is the Fifteenth Circuit.

Does Martin County have a drug court?

Yes. The circuit runs a Martin County Adult Drug Court, which some defendants enter as a diversion and others as a condition of probation.

Can I pay a Martin County bond in cash?

No. The Sheriff's Office says it does not accept cash for bonds; money orders, cashier's checks or a bondsperson are used.

How can Mr. Mead help with a Martin County case?

Mr. Mead's practice is devoted entirely to criminal defense, and he works one-on-one with each client, with more than three decades in South Florida courts. The office is at 370 W. Camino Gardens Blvd., Suite 333, Boca Raton, in Palm Beach County. Our Palm Beach County page covers the courts south of the county line. The nearest city page is Jupiter. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken, and you can call 24 hours. His background is on the firm overview page.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If you or someone in your family was arrested in Martin County, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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