Greetings Bob,
Upon doing a little research, it appears Laurel Oak has suffered the last 5-6 years due to severe drought in the Florida area. This may or may not be the culprit in your case.
One quick test to determine weather or not your tree is still alive is to take your fingernail and scratch several twigs to see if you can see "green" living tissue beneath the bark. If your tree is still alive, I would suggest contacting your local Florida Extension office to see if someone can come out and conduct an on-site evaluation of your tree(s).
Good luck!