Stuart is a nice place and Sunset Bay is a great marina. Walking into downtown is easy and fun. Nice place to jump to the Bahamas from as well. Not a ton of good anchoring out spots that I know of close by other than Peck Lake, which gets a lot of wakes, but there are likely plenty I don't know about as I haven't looked real hard either. We mainly go across to the Bahamas.
Stuart hurricane history:
Last hit 2005, Wilma hit south of Stuart as a CAT 2. Weaker in Stuart. Some roof damage and trees toppled.
2004 was a bad year. Jeanne hit as a CAT 3. This was 22 days after Frances hit as a CAT 2.
1999, Irene was barely a CAT 1.
1979, David was a CAT 1. Surge of 5'.
1964, Isbell, CAT 3, hit after crossing from West Coast of FL.
1964, Cleo, a CAT 1, hit west of Stuart. Actually hit Indiantown harder than Stuart.
That's the last 55 years.