Is rekeying the same as replacing the locks?

No. Rekeying keeps the existing lock body and changes what key operates it, so your old keys stop working. Replacement is for hardware that is worn, damaged or mismatched, and the locksmith will tell you which applies to each door before you agree to anything.

Can every exterior lock be put on one key?

Usually yes, and that is the normal aim — one key for the front, back, garage side door and any gate or shed lock. Where hardware is too different or too far gone, the locksmith may recommend replacing that unit so it matches the rest.

Will salt air near the water affect my locks?

It can. Salt-laden air reaches nearly every property in St. Petersburg and corrodes exterior cylinders, and blown sand and grit after storms works into keyways. A corroded cylinder is one of the common reasons a lock gets replaced during a rekey rather than rekeyed.

Do locksmiths in Florida need a state license?

Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and has no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level, and requirements vary and change, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office where the work is done.

Are you the locksmith?

No. One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service that arranges the work with independent locksmiths; we are not the locksmith and we do not perform the work. You get a free estimate on every job, and the locksmith gives you the price before any work starts.

Rekey a new home in St. Petersburg, FL

You have the keys the seller or the agent handed over. You do not know how many other keys are out there. A previous owner, a contractor, a former tenant, a cleaner, a letting agent — any of them could still have one that works, and there is no way to count the copies. Rekeying fixes that. The locks stay where they are, the old keys stop working, and you get one new key for the doors.

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In St. Petersburg this job tends to stack up in the summer moving season, so it is worth booking rather than leaving. It is also worth doing properly here because of the air. The city sits on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf, humidity stays high year-round, and salt-laden air reaches nearly every property. That air corrodes exterior deadbolts and lock cylinders. Heat and humidity also swell wood doors and frames, so a deadbolt can bind against the strike plate. Blown sand near the beaches and fine grit after storms works into keyways. So when a locksmith goes through the house, some cylinders rekey cleanly and some are worn far enough that replacing the hardware makes more sense.

While you wait — please don't

Do not assume the handover keys are the only ones. The number of copies made over the life of a house is unknowable, and a key that still turns is still a way in.
Do not skip the side and back doors. Single-family homes here commonly have an attached one-car garage, a carport or a detached alley-access garage, and the garage side door is the one people forget.
Do not force a stiff cylinder. A lock that grates or drags on a salt-air coast is usually corroded or full of grit, and forcing the key can snap it off in the keyway and turn a simple job into two.
Do not hand out spare keys before the rekey. Wait until the old keys are dead, then have keys cut for everyone in the household so every copy in circulation is one you know about.

What the technician does

Identification and entitlement checkedBefore any work starts, the locksmith asks for identification and proof that you are entitled to the property — standard practice in Florida is photo ID plus something tying you to the address, such as a deed, lease or utility bill. Reputable companies document this on the work order.
A walk round every entry pointThe locksmith looks at each exterior lock, the garage side door, and any gate or shed lock. That tells you what can be rekeyed and what is too worn or mismatched to keep.
The price before anything is touchedYou get a free estimate covering the whole job, and you approve it before work begins. Nothing starts until you say yes.
Locks rekeyed to one keyEach cylinder is rekeyed so a single new key works the exterior doors. Worn or mismatched hardware is replaced instead where the locksmith finds it is past rekeying.
Old keys made uselessOnce the work is done, every key that came with the house stops turning the locks. It does not matter who still has one.
Keys cut for the householdKeys are cut for everyone living there, and the locksmith checks each door locks and unlocks properly before leaving.

Why this happens in St. Petersburg, FL

St. Petersburg housing runs from 1920s bungalows and Mediterranean Revival homes in the historic districts through a very large share of 1950s–1970s concrete block and stucco ranch homes, plus downtown and beach-area condo towers and recent infill construction. That mix shows up in the lock hardware. An older block ranch in Disston Heights or Pinellas Point may have picked up decades of mismatched cylinders, one key for the front, another for the back, and a third for the garage side door. A rekey pulls all of that onto one key.

Location within the city matters too. Homes within a few miles of Tampa Bay or the Gulf — Snell Isle, Shore Acres, Coquina Key, Old Southeast — see rust on lock hardware far faster than inland Florida, and low-lying waterfront areas like Shore Acres have had repeated flooding. Hurricane season runs June through November, and demand rises before and right after it. There is a second bump from November to April, when snowbird owners return and open up homes that have sat empty for months. If you have just taken over a condo downtown or in the EDGE District, remember the building may control some access points; the locksmith can rekey what belongs to your unit and tell you what needs management. One Call Locksmiths arranges locksmith work across all fifty states, including St. Petersburg and nearby Gulfport, St. Pete Beach, Pinellas Park, Largo and Clearwater.

Questions people ask

Is rekeying the same as replacing the locks?: No. Rekeying keeps the existing lock body and changes what key operates it, so your old keys stop working. Replacement is for hardware that is worn, damaged or mismatched, and the locksmith will tell you which applies to each door before you agree to anything.
Can every exterior lock be put on one key?: Usually yes, and that is the normal aim — one key for the front, back, garage side door and any gate or shed lock. Where hardware is too different or too far gone, the locksmith may recommend replacing that unit so it matches the rest.
Will salt air near the water affect my locks?: It can. Salt-laden air reaches nearly every property in St. Petersburg and corrodes exterior cylinders, and blown sand and grit after storms works into keyways. A corroded cylinder is one of the common reasons a lock gets replaced during a rekey rather than rekeyed.
Do locksmiths in Florida need a state license?: Florida does not issue a statewide locksmith license and has no state locksmith licensing board. The trade is regulated at county or municipal level, and requirements vary and change, so check current rules with the county or city consumer protection or licensing office where the work is done.
Are you the locksmith?: No. One Call Locksmiths is a referral and scheduling service that arranges the work with independent locksmiths; we are not the locksmith and we do not perform the work. You get a free estimate on every job, and the locksmith gives you the price before any work starts.

One call

Call (866) 690-5848 and we will arrange a locksmith to rekey your St. Petersburg home. The estimate is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 690-5848

Something else in this area

One Call Locksmiths arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.