Boston Globe — When does a beach become public? Maura Healey (and one of her wealthy donors) wants to redefine the answer.

Jul 16

Governor Maura Healey has "always felt strongly about increasing public access to beaches and great ponds," a spokesperson said Tuesday.Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe

July 16, 2025

By Matt Stout — MASSACHUSETTS — Governor Maura Healey is resurrecting a proposal at the center of a long-running legal dispute between wealthy property owners on Martha’s Vineyard that, if passed, could redefine when a beach in Massachusetts is considered public.

Healey tucked the measure into a $3 billion environmental bond bill she filed last month, using language that mirrors a proposal long pushed by Richard Friedman, a colorful developer and Healey donor who’s slated to host a fund-raiser for her this weekend at his Edgartown home.

Friedman for years has battled his neighbors in court over access to a stretch of barrier beach separating Oyster Pond in Edgartown, where he bought property four decades ago, from the Atlantic Ocean on the island’s southern shore.

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Boston Globeclimate changesea level riseerosionclimate migrationstormstorm surgeMassachusettsGov Maura HealeyMartha's Vineyardlawsuitprivate propertypublic accessbeach accessRichard FriedmanOyster PondEdgartownbarrier beach

Cate Brown

Boston Globe — When does a beach become public? Maura Healey (and one of her wealthy donors) wants to redefine the answer.

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