ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An hour after the big announcement of a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium, a small group gathered in front of St. Petersburg City Hall. 

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“If you go back 40 years, a similar thing was done where residents were promised housing, businesses and many other opportunities. Instead what they got was a lie," said the Rev. Dr. Manuel Sykes, Pastor of Bethel Community Baptist Church. "Every promise was broke. Our mayor says our promises are going to be kept. I contend that the lie that was told 40 years ago is a lie today."

Members of the group Faith in Florida and St. Pete community members shared their disappointed with the agreement. A lot of it has to do with a rocky history connected to the Gas Plant District, where the current Tropicana Field sits.

“This is a picture of Second Bethel, the church that existed in what is now Campbell park," said Sykes, pointing to a church that had to move when land for Tropicana Field was set aside in the 1980s. 

“A number of churches literally had to move out of the area," said Sykes. “The same thing is going on again. It’s almost like the same script, 40 years later.”

Sykes worries about promises made between the city, county, developer, MLB and the Tampa Bay Rays. He is really worried about the working class. 

“The thing is, they will say we are putting this deal in ink. They put it in ink back then, it means nothing," said Sykes. 

“What happened in the 80s, with the acquiring of this land, and what happened this morning. This is so much larger than black and white, and it is so much larger than even public versus private," said Dylan Dames of Faith in Florida.

"This is an issue for working families. During a time when Floridians all over the state are having our liberties and resources being pulled out from under us, it’s hard for this to not feel like a microcosm of the exact same thing."

This group and Sykes are urging community members not happy with the agreement to speak up for the City of St. Petersburg votes on this on Sept. 28.

“We hope we have some space, but even more so we hope we will be heard," said Sykes.