A Florida mayor apologised Wednesday to a couple fined thousands of dollars for having their home's exterior painted to emulate Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Mount Dora City Council unanimously agreed that Lubomir Jastrzebski and Nancy Nemhauser can keep the blue-and-yellow paint swirled on their walls in the style of van Gogh's masterpiece. The homeowners had said their mural helps calm their autistic son.

The settlement requires the city to pay them $15,000 and remove a property lien to end the nearly yearlong code enforcement case.

Mayor Nick Girone publicly apologised to the couple on Wednesday at city hall, adding that his city has a long history of supporting artists. Mount Dora, about 25 miles northwest of Orlando, hosts one of the largest art shows in central Florida.

"We are absolutely delighted and ecstatic," Nemhauser said after Tuesday's vote. "I'm unhappy that we had to go through all of this, but the ending is a happy ending."