Ave Maria, Florida

Ave Maria, Florida, United States, is a planned community and Census-designated place in Collier County, Florida,[4] founded by controversial Roman Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan of Domino's Pizza fame, who created the town to hold his Ave Maria University.[5]

Ave Maria, Florida
unincorporated community
Ave Maria Catholic Parish Church in the center of Ave Maria, Florida.
Ave Maria Catholic Parish Church in the center of Ave Maria, Florida.
Ave Maria, Florida is located in Florida
Ave Maria, Florida
Ave Maria, Florida
Location within Florida
Coordinates: 26°20′12″N 81°26′12″W
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyCollier
Elevation
[1]
18 ft (6 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
34142
Area code239
FIPS code12-47625[2]
GNIS feature ID0287528[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Ave Maria, Florida was founded in 2005 by the Ave Maria Development Company, a partnership consisting of the Barron Collier Companies and the Ave Maria Foundation led by Roman Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and leader of Ave Maria University.[6] Monaghan served as chancellor of Ave Maria University until February 2011.[7] The development of the town was made possible when the Florida legislature created the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, a limited local government whose purpose is to provide community infrastructure.[8] It earned the "Community of the Year" for eight consecutive years (2015-2022).[9]Ave Maria was ranked 18th in the United States for planned community home sales the US in 2022,[10] with 586 homes sold and has sold over 4,000 homes from 2007 to 2023.[11]

Commerce

Ave Maria is home to various institutions and businesses. Local news is covered by a monthly print magazine, Ave Maria Neighbors, which shares stories of local families, a calendar of events, and topics of human interest in the community.[12][13][14]

Ave Maria Oratory
The band Scythian performs at a festival in front of the Ave Maria Oratory with Annunciation sculpture visible in the background.

The town was planned with the large Ave Maria church in the center, the façade of which displays sculptor Márton Váró's 30-foot-tall (9 m) sculpture of the Annunciation, depicting the Archangel Gabriel greeting the Virgin Mary with the words "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary). [15][16] Váró's "Good Shepherd" sculpture is also featured inside the Oratory, also carved in marble from Cave Michelangelo in Carrara, Italy.[17]

The building serves as the home of the Ave Maria Catholic Church, part of the Diocese of Venice, which serves as the parish for local residents and students.[18] One of the oratory's most distinctive characteristics is its steel structure, much of which is exposed internally and externally. The landmark church received an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction in 2008.[19]

Geography

Ave Maria is 36 miles northeast of Naples, Florida, and part of Collier County. There is no census data available for Ave Maria as of the 2020 Census.[20] The town's elevation is 18 feet.[1] In 2022, Ave Maria's tapwater supply was praised as the best-tasting water in Florida.[21] Four water toxicity tests in 2007 and 2008 showed carcinogenic trihalomethanes above the legal limit for contaminants.[22]

Ecology

Ave Maria's location in southern Florida shares the same subtropical wetland ecosystem as the Florida Everglades. It is home to a biodiversity of birds such as wood storks, Anhinga, heron and hawks. Alligators may be encountered near fresh water.[23] The region was sprayed more than 30 times via airplane with pesticides by the Collier Mosquito Control District in 2015 with organophosphates and pyrethroids,[24] making it the most sprayed area in Southwest Florida.[25] The Collier Mosquito Control District spokesman stated in 2012 to the Ave Maria Herald, "The chemical used in the spraying is Naled, an organophosphate that the EPA has determined to be extremely safe".[26] EPA's 2006 re-registration document for Naled requires a 48-hour re-entry interval for farm workers as "Naled can cause cholinesterase inhibition in humans".[27]

References
  1. "Elevation search for "Ave Maria, Fla."". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "Ave Maria Development Company". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. Cooperman, Alan (March 25, 2007). "Magnate's Decisions Stir Controversy". The Washington Post: On Faith. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  6. Cooperman, Alan (March 25, 2007). "Magnate's Decisions Stir Controversy". The Washington Post: On Faith. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  7. "Tom Monaghan steps down as CEO at Ave Maria University". Naples Daily News. February 10, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  8. "avemariastewardshipcd.org". Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. "The Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2022". RCLCO Real Estate Consulting. January 4, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  10. "The Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2022". RCLCO Real Estate Consulting. January 4, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  11. Fish, Erica (April 13, 2023). "AVE MARIA SURPASSES 4,000 NEW HOME SALES". Barron Collier Companies. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  12. "Ave Maria Living". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  13. "Ave Herald". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  14. "Ave Maria Living.com". Ave Maria Living.com.
  15. "Ave Maria Oratory Quasi-Parish". Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  16. "The Annunciation of Ave Maria by Sculptor Marton Varo". Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  17. David Shnaider. "Memorial Statue for Alex Klucik Installed in Oratory". The Ave Maria Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  18. "Thousands welcome Ave Maria oratory into Roman Catholic Church". Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  19. "Oratory at Ave Maria receives architecture award". Naples Daily News. June 25, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  20. "Fact Sheet | Collier County, FL Sheriff". www.colliersheriff.org. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  21. Rakoczy, Maria (April 6, 2022). "Drink up! Ave Maria's water tastes great". Ave Maria Sun. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  22. "Toxic Waters: Ave Maria Utility Company". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  23. "Campus Safety: Wildlife". Ave Maria University. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  24. "Control Materials". Collier Mosquito Control District. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  25. "Spray Map – Collier Mosquito Control District". Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  26. "The Ave Maria Herald - AMSCD Briefed on Bond Refinancing, Mosquito Control". www.aveherald.com.
  27. "EPA Reregistration Document for Naled" (PDF).

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