People, robots work together at Amazon's Lakeland facility

LAKELAND (FOX 13) - Amazon's fulfillment center in Lakeland just celebrated its one-year anniversary, and invited the media to check it out for the first time.

The center is futuristic and uses advanced technology to get the job done.

"I love it," said employee Diana Ortiz. "It's different. It's not your typical warehouse."

Along with hundreds of people scurrying around, there are robots.

A six-ton robot uses long arms to grab and stack pallets several stories high. It is believed to be the biggest robot of its kind in the entire world.

Many smaller robots, controlled by a supercomputer, zip around the warehouse floor, bringing products to employees, who then send them out to customers.

Governor Scott, who visited the facility on Wednesday, was impressed by the jobs that Amazon is bringing to the area.

"What's exciting today is that this fulfillment center has gone from 500 to 800 jobs in just the last 12 months," the governor said.

In addition to the fulfillment center, Amazon is currently hiring for the holidays. Nationwide, the company is going to hire 100,000 part-time, temporary workers.

"If they perform, they could potentially become full-time Amazonians, if we have that work available," said Chris Monnot, general manager of the facility.

This holiday hiring comes on the heels of another big opportunity for job seekers. The Amazon warehouse in Ruskin just gave 2,000 local residents full-time jobs.

The average salary for a full-time employee at Amazon is $12 an hour.

"Every city in this country would love to have an Amazon," Lakeland Mayor Howard Wiggs said.

For more information on Amazon jobs, click here.