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Ave Maria, Florida is a planned community and college town currently under development in Collier County, near Immokalee and Naples. Local community and business leaders partnered with the Ave Maria Foundation to create a new community that has a Catholic university, Ave Maria University, at its core. The town will have a population of 3,000 permanent residents and 5,000 students. The town and university both opened in 2007.

The driving force behind this development is 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.