He's bankrolling Florida town where Catholicism would rule

NAPLES, Fla. — If Domino's Pizza founder Thomas Monaghan has his way, a town being built in Florida will be governed according to strict Roman Catholic principles, with no place to get an abortion, pornography or birth control.

The magnate is bankrolling the project with at least $250 million and calls it "God's will."

Civil libertarians say the plan is unconstitutional and are threatening to sue.

The town of Ave Maria is being built around Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university to be built in the United States in about 40 years. Both are scheduled to open next year about 25 miles east of Naples in southwestern Florida.

The town and the university, developed in partnership with Barron Collier Co., an agricultural and real-estate business, will be set on 5,000 acres with a European-inspired town center, a massive church and what planners call the largest crucifix in the nation, at nearly 65 feet tall. Monaghan envisions 11,000 homes and 20,000 residents.

During a speech last year at a Catholic men's gathering in Boston, Monaghan said that in his community, stores will not sell pornographic magazines, pharmacies will not carry condoms or birth-control pills, and cable television will have no X-rated channels.

Home buyers in Ave Maria will own their property, but Monaghan and Barron Collier will control all commercial real estate, meaning they could insert provisions in leases to restrict the sale of certain items.

"I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan, who sold Domino's Pizza in 1998, said in a recent Newsweek interview.

Robert Falls, a spokesman for the project, said Tuesday that attorneys are reviewing the legal issues and that Monaghan had no comment in the meantime.

Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, said, "If they attempt to do what he apparently wants to do, the people of Naples and Collier County, Florida, are in for a whole series of legal and constitutional problems and a lot of litigation indefinitely. ... "

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said it will be up to the courts to decide the legality of the plan. "The community has the right to provide a wholesome environment," he said.

"If someone disagrees, they have the right to go to court and present facts before a judge."

Gov. Jeb Bush, at the site's groundbreaking last month, praised the development as a new kind of town where faith and freedom will merge to create a community of like-minded citizens.

Bush, a convert to Catholicism, did not speak specifically to the proposed restrictions.

"While the governor does not personally believe in abortion or pornography, the town, and any restrictions they may place on businesses choosing to locate there, must comply with the laws and constitution of the state and federal governments," said Bush spokesman Russell Schweiss.

Frances Kissling, president of the liberal Catholics for a Free Choice, likened Monaghan's concept to Islamic fundamentalism.

"This is un-American," Kissling said.

"I don't think in a democratic society you can have a legally organized township that will seek to have any kind of public service whatsoever and try to restrict the constitutional rights of citizens."