This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future events. It may contain tentative information; the content may change as the event approaches and more information becomes available.

Ave Maria, Florida, is a planned community currently under development in Collier County, near Immokalee and Naples. Local community and business leaders have partnered with the Ave Maria Foundation to create a new community that will have a new 5,000 student Roman Catholic university, Ave Maria University, at its core. The town is planned for more than 8,000 residential units at build out, as well as many amenities. Amenities are to include a 17 court championship tennis facility, a championship golf course, a water park with separate lap pool, resort pool and water park, multiple soccer and softball fields, pickle ball courts, a dog park, an amphitheater, two indoor fitness facilities which will include indoor basketball and gyms, as well as miles of walking and preserve trails and a permanent activities director. The town and university are both planned to open in 2007. Image File history File links Gnome_globe_current_event. ... A New town or planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... Collier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Immokalee is a census-designated place located in Collier County, Florida. ... Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, USA. The population was 20,976 at the 2000 census. ... “Catholic Church” redirects here. ... Ave Maria University is a new Catholic university in Southwest Florida, founded in 2003 by Dominos Pizza founder and part-owner Tom Monaghan. ...

Detailed plans for the community and university have been posted online and have garnered both praise and criticism. The driving force behind this development is Roman Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and the Chancellor of Ave Maria University. His partner is Barron Collier Companies, a company involved in the project as part of its "Rural Stewardship" program, a program designed to conserve rural agriculture and environment while allowing for economic growth and development. Monaghan and Barron Collier Companies have exclusive control of commercial real estate in the town. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... World locations Dominos Pizza, Inc. ... Barron Gift Collier (23 March 1873 — 13 March 1939) was an American advertising entrepreneur, who became the largest landowner and developer in the U.S. state of Florida, as well as, the owner of a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers. ...

The new university at the core of the community is a follow-on to Ave Maria School of Law and Ave Maria College, both founded in Michigan. The community in Florida came about after difficulties in obtaining zoning and sundry support in Michigan. The reception of both the town and university in Florida has been quite positive, gaining county approval and breaking ground in 2005. Ave Maria School of Law, a Roman Catholic law school, is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ... Ave Maria College is a private Catholic college that was founded on March 19, 1998: it currently offers undergraduate degrees in eight majors, and is home to a law school. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ...

Controversies

Monaghan once stated that commercial leases in the town would enforce beliefs consistent with the Roman Catholic faith, including prohibiting the sale of pornography or contraceptives and banning the performance of abortions. Consequently, the American Civil Liberties Union announced it would oppose these plans in court if they were carried out.^[1] Monaghan later explained in a public statement, "I prefer not to have those things, but I am not going to break the law."^[2] Porn redirects here. ... The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a major American non-profit organization whose stated mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.[1] It works through litigation, legislation, and community...

The centerpiece of the town and university will be a Roman Catholic oratory. The announced plans are for a neo-Gothic style building 100 feet in height, covering 25,000 square feet, with a glass and steel exterior and a crucifix 65 feet in height. While still sizable, this is a scaled back version of the original plan, which had a 60,000-square-foot floor plan.^[3] Many people have criticized the choice of designs, saying that either a traditional European style or a local Spanish mission style would be better for aesthetic and climatic reasons. Monaghan, an admirer of the architectural style of Frank Lloyd Wright, supports the design.^[4] In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a semi-public place of worship, other than a parish church, constructed for the benefit of a group of persons (Code of Canon law, canon 1223). ... Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was one of the worlds most prominent and influential architects. ...

The community has drawn criticism from environmental and conservation groups, especially for the threat it may pose to the endangered Florida panther.^[5] Trinomial name Puma concolor coryi The Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi) is a critically endangered subspecies of Puma that lives in the low pinelands, palm forests and swamps of southern Florida in the United States, especially near the Big Cypress National Preserve [1]. It is the last subspecies of Puma...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Ave Maria's public schools are operated by the District School Board of Collier County. One public elementary school and one public middle school will be placed in the community on a 46-acre site. The district also has plans to build a high school in close proximity to Ave Maria [1] [2] [3]. Location Collier County, Florida Phone Number (239) 377-0001 Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams Grades VPK to 12 (with adult education programs) Website Link The District School Board of Collier County, also known as Collier County Public Schools, is a school district in Collier County, Florida. ...

Private schools

Ave Maria has plans for one private K-12 school to be placed in the community [4] [5]..

References

1. ^ "Halfway to Heaven: A Catholic millionaire's dream town draws fire", Newsweek, February 27, 2006.
   'Pizza pope' builds a Catholic heaven, The Sunday Times, February 26, 2006.
2. ^ Glanton, Dahleen. Catholic billionaire envisions city of God Chicago Tribune. April 04, 2006.
3. ^ "Ava Maria's church plan scaled back", The News Press, July 22, 2005
4. ^ "An alternative proposal for Ave Maria", CruxNews.com, May 14, 2004
5. ^ Defenders of Wildlife (2007-02-20). Conservation Group Calls on Federal Agencies to Protect Critical Florida Panther Habitat. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.

A press release (sometimes known as a news release or press statement) is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Community of Ave Maria, the development's official website
• New Fla. town aims to ban contraceptives, a March 2006 Associated Press article about the development, via International Herald Tribune
• New town is also 'one big congregation' an August 2007 article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Official website for Ava Maria University
• AveWatch.org - investigative journalism on Tom Monaghan and Ave Maria
• free.naplesplus.us search for articles + news for Ave Maria, FL

Coordinates: 26°20′08″N, 81°28′07″W The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. ... The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...