Ave Maria, Florida

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Ave María: Naples, Florida

Seal
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Collier
Elevation [1] 3 ft (1 m)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 34101-34110, 34112-34114, 34116-34117, 34119-34120
Area code(s) 239
FIPS code 12-47625[2]
GNIS feature ID 0287528[3]
Website http://www.avemaria.com

Coordinates: 26°20′08″N 81°28′07″W / 26.33556°N 81.46861°W / 26.33556; -81.46861 Ave Maria, Florida, United States is a planned college town 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 tennis facility, a 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 walking and preserve trails and an activities director. The town and university opened in 2007.

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 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.

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[edit] 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.[4] Monaghan later explained in a public statement, "I prefer not to have those things, but I am not going to break the law."[5]

The Roman Catholic oratory at Ave Maria

The centerpiece of the town and university is a Roman Catholic oratory. It is a modern-styled building with some traditional and Frank Lloyd Wright influences, 100 feet (30 m) in height, covering 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2), with a glass and steel exterior and a crucifix 65 feet (20 m) in height. While still sizable, this is a scaled back version of the original plan, which had a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) floor plan.[6] 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.[7]

The community has drawn criticism from environmental and conservation groups because the location of the development is in the middle of a primary breeding ground of the critically endangered Florida panther.[8]

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

[edit] 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 (190,000 m2) site. The district also has plans to build a high school in close proximity to Ave Maria [1] [2] [3].

[edit] Private schools

In the Fall of 2007, the Ave Maria Grammar & Preparatory School, a private, classical K-12 school, opened in Ave Maria [4] [5] with over 130 students. The school plans to eventually add a second building to house the high school.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Naples, United States Page". Falling Rain Genomics. http://www.fallingrain.com/world/US/12/Naples.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. 
  2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ Glanton, Dahleen. Catholic billionaire envisions city of God Chicago Tribune. April 04, 2006.
  6. ^ "Ava Maria's church plan scaled back", The News Press, July 22, 2005
  7. ^ "An alternative proposal for Ave Maria", CruxNews.com, May 14, 2004
  8. ^ Defenders of Wildlife (2007-02-20). Conservation Group Calls on Federal Agencies to Protect Critical Florida Panther Habitat. Press release. http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press_releases_folder/2007/02_20_2007_calling_on_federal_agencies_to_protect_critical_florida_panther_habitat.php. Retrieved on 2007-07-25. 

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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