Against the Wind

Collier County suffered considerable damage when Hurricane Irma made landfall in Southwest Florida and roared through the area as the most powerful storm ever tracked in the Gulf of Mexico.

But master-planned community Ave Maria, which is being developed northeast of Naples, sustained relatively minor impact — despite being buffeted by the storm's highest winds and more rain than the rest of the county.

Developer Barron Collier Cos. attributes the lack of damage to design decisions made when the city was begun more than a decade ago and to efforts crews made prior to, and immediately after, Irma's path through the center of Florida.