Martin County commissioners voted to begin the process of establishing quiet zones at three railroad crossings, two in Jensen Beach and one in Hobe Sound, amid continuing resident complaints about blaring train horns. The vote split 3-2, scaling back a more ambitious plan that would have covered every crossing in the county.
Commissioners initially considered a motion to turn all 27 of the county's railroad crossings into quiet zones, according to WPTV. That broader approach was narrowed before the final vote, which passed 3-2 in favor of a smaller, three-crossing plan, according to TCPalm.
The three crossings slated for quiet zones are County Line Road and Skyline Drive in Jensen Beach, plus a crossing along Dixie Highway near Mariner Sands in Hobe Sound, per the WPTV report. County traffic engineer Erik Ferguson told commissioners on Tuesday that all three crossings already have the required safety equipment in place, the TCPalm report notes.
Cost and Timeline Still Taking Shape
Establishing the three quiet zones is expected to cost about $30,000 total, or roughly $10,000 per crossing, per the same TCPalm report. Had commissioners pursued quiet zones at all 27 crossings, the cost could have ballooned to $650,000 because of the need for additional safety equipment, Ferguson said, according to the outlet.
Planning on the three approved crossings was set to begin immediately, though officials gave no projected completion date, saying only that the work could take several months, the same account states. Of the county's 27 grade crossings, 19 sit on county property, one is on private property, five are in Stuart, and two are controlled by the state, per the report.
A Reversal From Last Year's Decision
The vote marks a reversal for commissioners, who decided against pursuing quiet zones at a March 11, 2025 meeting, according to WFLX. By May 2026, commissioners had directed staff to keep evaluating the possibility, the station reports, setting up Tuesday's narrower approval.
Supporters framed the horn noise as a quality-of-life issue, while opponents raised safety concerns about silencing horns at active crossings, per the WPTV account. Doug Farley was among those who backed the quiet zones, the outlet reports.
Rail Traffic Has Surged Across the Treasure Coast
Part of what's driving the complaints is a jump in train traffic. Brightline began commercial operations along the Florida East Coast Railway through the Treasure Coast in September 2023, adding roughly 32 daily train trips, according to the WFLX report. Neighbors have said about 48 trains a day now pass through Martin County, with horns sounding a total of 5,400 times across the county's 27 crossings, per the TCPalm account.
Stuart, meanwhile, received a $1.86 million grant to enhance rail corridor safety, according to the WPTV report. Under federal regulations, a public authority can designate a quiet zone without formal application to and approval by the Federal Railroad Administration if it meets specific safety conditions and notification requirements.
Neighboring Counties Have Moved First
Martin County isn't the first on the Treasure Coast to take this step. St. Lucie County commissioners approved a pilot program for quiet zones at three of the county's 23 crossings in September 2025, per the TCPalm report, with Midway Road, Walton Road and Riverview Drive designated as 24-hour quiet zones starting that September, according to CBS12.
St. Lucie County Public Works Director Patrick Dayan said at the time that the added passenger and freight traffic, much of it running at night, had hurt residents' quality of life, the CBS12 report states. Palm Beach Gardens designated a four-mile stretch within city limits as a quiet zone in July 2025, and Jupiter did the same for six of its crossings the following month, according to the same report. Not every county has gone the same direction, however: Indian River County commissioners voted unanimously against quiet zones at its 22 crossings back in February 2024, per TCPalm.
