Your co-worker is not really that full of it.
Florida IS prepared to do a Contra-Flow in event of need due to last year.
(But it is not happening now, ekwd.)
See
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/publicinformationoffice/moreDOT/spenews/contraflow.htm
and see
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/turnpikepio/ContraFlow/Contraflow_FAQ.pdf
No..he's full of it. He was saying that FLorida never waits that long to make all lanes go northbound...he was critizicing Texas waiting so long to do it. I told him it never happened ...YET.