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"America's newest town is rising up in the midst of a dusty tomato field in southwest Florida. And if the Catholics building it have their way, this ultraconservative community with a 65-foot crucifix at its center will be the closest thing to heaven on Earth.
"They envision a town that adheres to strict religious values, a place void of adult bookstores, strip clubs, massage parlors and abortion clinics. At one time they had planned to prohibit the sale of contraceptives at drugstores and bar X-rated channels from cable television. But the law got in the way.
"The town, to be anchored by a new Roman Catholic university, is mostly the vision of Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, a devout Catholic who is pouring $400 million of his personal fortune into the project. Insisting that he is doing God's will, Monaghan, who is well-known in conservative political and religious circles, has staked his reputation on the controversial project, the latest of his many philanthropic ventures designed to spread conservative Christian values around the world.
"Monaghan drew the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union and other critics last year when he said in a speech that he would not allow stores that sell pornography or dispense contraceptives, including condoms, to operate in the town. In recent weeks, after lawyers warned that the plan was unconstitutional, Monaghan and Barron Collier chief executive Paul Marinelli have traveled the country in a public-relations blitz to clarify the statements.
"'I prefer not to have those things, but I am not going to break the law,' said Monaghan, who also owns a Catholic newspaper and a radio station in Naples."
Allegedly, Monaghan also commented that while he would prefer not to allow any pizzas to go cold in his new town, he recognizes the privacy issues of those concerned about planned "Noid patrols" making regular sweeps through the community.
