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The use of Mar-a-Lago as former President Donald Trump's permanent home is under legal review by the town of Palm Beach and the arrangement may be discussed at the upcoming town council meeting, the town manager told CNN.

When Trump turned the private residence into a social club, he had agreed with the town to limit his stays at Mar-a-Lago, and now some Palm Beach residents say he is violating that agreement.

Trump bought the former estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1985, and subsequently turned it into a members' only club in 1993. The plan was — as with most Trump deals — to turn a profit. Yet in order to transform the private residence into a revenue-generating business, Trump had to agree to certain limitations, based on guidelines presented as deal-breakers from Palm Beach.

READ MORE: Justice Department investigating Trump, in-house lawyers

For example, there could be no more than 500 members, there were rules concerning parking and traffic, and club members — Trump included — could not spend more than seven consecutive days at Mar-a-Lago, or no more than three weeks total a year.

At the time, following several appearances at town council meetings by Trump and his lawyers to plead his case for approval on the evolution of the property, Trump assented to abiding by the 21-day rule. His signature is on the agreement.

However, Trump had been exceeding that number by staying at Mar-a-Lago far more often while president, and CNN reported last month that nearby residents in the posh Florida town were not interested in supporting Trump making the club his permanent home after he left office.

Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago on January 20, skipping the inauguration for President Joe Biden.

"This matter is under legal review by our Town Attorney, John 'Skip' Randolph," Palm Beach Town Manager Krik Blouin told CNN via email, adding that "Mr. Randolph is reviewing the Declaration of Use Agreement and our Code of Ordinances to determine if former President Trump can live at Mar-a-Lago."

CNN has reached out directly to Randolph but he has not responded for a request for additional information. It was unclear when the review would be done but Blouin said that the issue may be an agenda item for the upcoming town council meeting scheduled for February 9. An agenda for the meeting has not been publicly posted yet.

The Trump Organisation insisted in a statement to CNN in December, "There is no document or agreement in place that prohibits President Trump from using Mar-A-Lago as his residence."

READ MORE: Trump reportedly considering creating new party

Many once-loyal members of Mar-a-Lago are leaving because they no longer want to have any connection to Trump, according to the author of the definitive book about the resort.

"It's a very dispirited place," Laurence Leamer, historian and author of "Mar-a-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace," told MSNBC. He said members are "not concerned about politics and they said the food is no good."

Leamer said he spoke to a number of former members who "silently walked out" after Trump left office.

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Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

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Firefighter Peter Lockerbie and his colleagues saw an "awful lot" of things they hadn't seen before during the 2020 black summer bushfires.

From the loss of lives and livelihoods to the destruction of homes and habitats, the fire season presented huge challenges for the emergency services.

READ ALSO: Man says village has been 'forgotten about' following black summer bushfires

But despite the hard times, the NSW Southern Highlands resident won't turn his back on the Rural Fire Service. 

In fact, the season only brought him closer to his fellow firefighters.

"We have some very talented, extremely dedicated people. I'm so damn proud of them," he said.

Mr Lockerbie worked on the frontline of the 278,722-hectare Green Wattle Creek bushfire and 23,000-hectare Morton blaze during last year's fire season.

He has since been involved with the ongoing recovery effort with the RFS.

READ ALSO: 'It's heartbreaking still': Bushfire survivors reflect one year on from the Black Summer crisis

Mental health is a focus, as the community remains on edge this summer.

"You've got residents who were either severely impacted and have damage or completely lost their homes," Mr Lockerbie said.

"I think we really need to get a fire season under our belt now where very little happens so that people can relax again."

Firefighters empathise with the community, which can sometimes exacerbate their own mental health challenges.

"It gets compounded because you're dealing with individuals that have been going through this emotional roller coaster," Mr Lockerbie.

"This is on top of what you might be going through from such a traumatic season."

Many Southern Highlands residents have strong, long-held ties to their villages and towns.

However after the bushfires, some residents moved out of the area in search of a fresh start.

For those in the worst-hit areas, they have either rebuilt their homes or remained in limbo due to red tape.

"There's so many different levels that you've got to consider when you look at how well and how quickly people are going to recover," Mr Lockerbie said.

The Morton bushfire was extinguished on February 9, 2020, while the Green Wattle Creek bushfire was extinguished on February 10.

Some charred trees remain in towns and villages, a reminder of the past summer. But Mr Lockerbie prefers to look to the future.

READ MORE: Firies demand new trucks, better gear as summer heats up

"You can look at the devastation that occurred during that season, but you can also look at it another way," he said.

"You can say, 'my gosh, look at mother nature, she's bouncing back beautifully'. You can see that regrowth and resilience.

"Having that reminder is not necessarily a bad thing. It reminds us that we've got to live among mother nature and there are risks associated with that."