The National Golf & Country Club by Lennar Named 2026 Community of the Year
AVE MARIA, FL — The National Golf & Country Club by Lennar, located in Ave Maria, Florida has been named Community of the Year under $500,000 at the 2026 Sand Dollar Awards, presented by the Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA). The award recognizes the best new residential community in Collier County, honoring excellence in design, amenities and overall lifestyle.
“As we reach our final new home sales opportunity at The National, being named Community of the Year is a meaningful recognition of what this community has become and the homeowners who have chosen to call it home,” said Brooks Stark, Vice President of Sales for Lennar. “The National offers an exceptional lifestyle of its own, made even more special by being part of Ave Maria and everything the greater community has to offer. We’re proud of the legacy The National represents and to continue building upon it through Lennar’s Lifestyle communities across Southwest Florida.”
The honor caps a strong night for Ave Maria at the 2026 Sand Dollar Awards, where the town also earned Best Special Event for its Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival. It marks the third consecutive year an Ave Maria festival has taken home the honor, following wins for the Shamrock Festival in 2025 and Taste of Ave in 2024. In addition, the Ave Maria community has won the Community of the Year award for the past eleven years from 2015-2025 and Ave Maria’s builders have a track record of recognition from the CBIA. Del Webb Naples, Ave Maria’s active adult community, earned Community of the Year over $500,000 in 2023. Gatherpoint, a joint venture between Lennar and Pulte Homes, has won Best Model Home, and CC Homes has won a past Sand Dollar Award for clubhouse interior design.
At the heart of Ave Maria is a walkable Town Center filled with restaurants, shops and gathering spaces where neighbors run into each other on the way to dinner or the farmers market. Golf carts are an everyday way to get around, and parks, trails and recreation are woven throughout every neighborhood. The town has on-site public and private schools from preschool to university and is zoned for A-rated Collier County public schools. As a Blue Zones Certified Community, Ave Maria places an emphasis on healthy, connected living.
ABOUT AVE MARIA, FLORIDA
Ave Maria has sold 6,000 new homes to date, has been named a Top 20 Master Planned Community in the United States, 2015-2025 Community of the Year, the Top Selling Single-Family Home Community in Collier County, a Blue Zones Certified Community. Ave Maria is a self-sustaining town including shopping and dining, employment opportunities, parks and recreation, and is zoned for all A-rated Collier County public schools. At its build out, the town will include just over 14,000 residences, and over 2.6 million square feet of retail, office, and business park uses in its almost 7,000 acres. Ave Maria is located at the intersection of Oil Well and Camp Keais Roads in Eastern Collier County. The main entrance, on Oil Well just west of Camp Keais, leads to the Town Center. Take I-75, exit 111, follow the signs east to Ave Maria, approximately 25 minutes. For more information, please visit http://www.avemaria.com/ or call 239-352-3903.
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