Reina Saco was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1990. She and her family fled Cuba in 1994, and were held in a refugee camp until being paroled into the United States in 1995. Her family settled in Hialeah, Florida and still lives there today.
Reina attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a B.A. in Russian Studies and a B.A. in English Literature. She went on to study at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and graduated with a M.A. in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies, and then relocated to Gainesville to study at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She dedicated herself to community service and volunteered with Three Rivers Legal Services, Department of Children and Families Children’s Legal Services, the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Clinic and the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association's Ask-A-Lawyer project.
Reina graduated with her JD in 2017, and began her legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Florida Legal Services, Inc. Through her fellowship, she worked with low income and immigrant communities to secure safe and affordable housing as well as access to community resources and rights.
In her free time, Reina enjoys gardening and photographing wildlife at Gainesville's nature parks.
Committees: Commissioner Saco currently serves on the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council.